A Simple Favour
by 13Nyx13
Summary: He had been there for as long as she could remember. The being with the red eyes and the feral smile. The demon trapped in her mirror. Sakura x Sasori. Mature themes
1. Man in the Mirror

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

 **Chapter 1: Man in the Mirror**

" _The devil_

 _is in the details"_

 _\- German idiom_

Sakura could not remember the first time she met the demon in her mirror. He had simply been there for as long as her young memory could stretch. His baleful stare burning out from the small, ornate silver hand mirror that her father had gifted her mother long ago.

Nor could she recall how the mirror traded its rightful place on her mother's rich wooden dressing table, to her own girlish white one. The mirror with its beautiful engraved frame and winding handle became as much of a permanent fixture in her room as her bed, desk and curtains.

But she always kept the mirror face down.

Instinctual awareness alerted her that she did not want the being in the mirror's eyes to trace her movements.

For any time the glass was upright, a shiver would scuttle down her spine and the fine hairs dusted across her body would stand to attention. She had not known at the time _what_ exactly the man in the mirror was _-_ only that he was trapped there. And she much preferred him on that side of the glass.

It was not that he was hideous to look at. On the contrary- her own emerald eyes had greedily taken in his face on more than one occasion.

The being had a shock of bright red hair that seemed to be in a permanent state of disarray- with locks falling over his arched eyebrows. His bone structure was angular with sharp cheekbones and a jutting jawline, adding to his refinery. Alabaster skin spoke of his confinement- for the creature had not a mark on him to suggest that he had ever met sunlight. Thin red lips would pull into a taunting smirk every time she dare cast her own stare in his direction.

But despite his beauty, Sakura had never felt comfortable meeting his eyes for more than a moment. For on his chiselled face, feathered with dark lashes, the man, whom Sakura could not truly call _man_ had _crimson_ eyes.

She had seen other people in the village that had similar coloured eyes. Rich wine colours, vibrant maroon- but nothing could quite match the deep crimson colour that looked so much like blood. And sitting within those ominous coloured irises, were oval pupils, with a dark line through each of them- truly showcasing his inhuman nature.

And it was those otherworldly eyes that prevented her from ever looking too closely at him. From ever opening her lips and letting the barrage of questions slide off her tongue. From letting her never- ending curiosity be satisfied. It was those eyes that made her keep the mirror face down, collecting dust amongst the vast array of girlish clutter on her dressing table.

It was not until she had turned ten years old did she finally come to understand exactly what sort of inhuman creature the man in the mirror was.

 _Demon_

It was a world that was hissed off the tongue in a wary whisper. A word that most people spoke with furtive looks and fearful hushing. A word that the village of Konohagakure knew all to well.

For, ten years ago a demon had come to the village bringing death and destruction to both shinobi and civilians alike. And while Sakura had only been a baby at the time, ten years later the people of Konoha still talked about the attack that had claimed their infamous fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze and his wife's lives.

How the nine tailed fox demon had stormed upon the village in a monstrous rage. How allied together, even the mightiest shinobi fell victim to the beast's murderous chaos. The tales of the demon's bloodlust still haunted the eyes of the survivors.

And yet, the fourth Hokage had managed to defeat the demon.

And while Sakura had not known _how_ the man did it, she felt a fierce sense of pride and inspiration that he had. A _man_ , granted, an extraordinary one had defeated a _demon._ And while the pride was tempered with the fact that Minato Namikaze had paid for his triumph with his life, Sakura knew that she too wanted to be a great shinobi like him one day.

And whilst the nine tailed fox demon had a large impact on everyone in Konhoa's life, it wasn't until truly after the beast was gone that it had the biggest impact on _her_ life.

The shinobi council, with one Danzo Shimura rallying it, were absolutely paranoid that a similar threat could break out in the future. That another beast like the nine tails would wreck havoc upon Konoha again. It was not a problem that could be solved using common shinobi tactics. No amount of heavy hitters, or espionage experts in any of the types of jutsus would be able to find a solution against a non-human foe.

So, the scholars were called in.

Sakura's father, Haruno Kizashi, was called in.

When he was an academy student many of his classmates would tauntingly call him 'a scroll'- a shinobi who possessed underwhelming physical skills, but excellent test scores. As he grew older and yet remained in genin ranks, Haruno Kizashi would often watch as his previous classmates moved from chunin to jounin, never bothering to notice him, expect for the occasional passing scornful glance.

It hadn't bothered him – not excelling up the ranks. For he was exactly where he loved to be- the shinobi library. A place filled with a wealth of knowledge. And what Haruno Kizashi knew that most of his former classmates took for granted, was that knowledge was the sharpest, deadliest weapon there was.

And when the council had ordered him, a _genin_ to research demons, he took to his new task with a vicious sort of hunger.

It was why Sakura has spent her childhood playing with dust motes in ancient libraries. It was why she spent her toddler years stretched out on a plush sofa in her father's study, playing with demonic statues, as much as she did her dolls. It was why at eight years old, her mother, Mebuki, packed up most of her belongings and left.

The day after her mother left was the day Sakura stopped being interested in her father's strange obsession. It was bad enough that shinobi looked down on her father for never seeming to have the ambition or courage to graduate from a rank that only pre-pubescent teens possessed. But if people had discovered exactly what Kizashi had being so focused on with his studies, they would have looked at him with the same sort of furious horror that her mother often had.

She had vowed never to become a man like him.

And yet it was hard sometimes. Sakura had acknowledged that while her green eyes, and small stature had come from her mother- her curiosity had most definitely passed down from her father.

And though at eight years old she had sworn that she was done with her father's fruitless research, two years later her interest in demons was peaked again.

She had been wandering through the vegetable market, when a small blonde boy in a bright orange jumpsuit barrelled into her. Stumbling back, Sakura had looked up into brilliant blue eyes that held both wariness and fear as they looked at her. Blinking her own green eyes, she wondered at the way his lip quivered, as if he expected her to scream. When no such sound came, she watched as a small hesitant smile crept onto his face. It vanished as soon as it appeared, when the strong hand of a vegetable merchant reached out to grab Sakura's shoulder and pull her back.

"Get away from her, _demon boy_ ," the elderly lady spat, shoving Sakura behind her apron.

Sakura poked her head out from behind the older lady just in time to watch the happy glint in the boy's eyes fall into despair. Without glancing at her, the boy turned around and ran off into the crowd, dodging the insults and shoves from other vendors.

"Best to stay away from the little demon boy from now on," the lady warned Sakura, eyes stern.

But Sakura hadn't paid her any mind, as she stared off into the space the boy disappeared to. Her brows pulled together in confusion. Sure, the boy looked strange with whisker like markings on his cheeks- but by no means did he look like a _demon_. She of all people would know. Her house was filled with literature and paintings on demons. All of them took some warped form of an animal- not a young blonde boy with crystal eyes.

Sakura finally turned her attention back to the vendor and asked, "Who was that boy?"

The woman pursued her lips, and scanned Sakura from head to toe, as if she was trying to ascertain whether or not she would chase after the boy, "That's the little demon boy, Uzumaki Naruto."

The puzzle of this 'Naruto' boy followed her all the way home and up to her father's study. Sakura did not bother to knock on the heavy wooden door, knowing it would be in moot. Her father always seemed to detach himself from reality when his books were involved. Ignoring everything from the outside world- including food, sleep, and his family _._

She watched his back as he hunched over a large scroll, muttering to himself. Her eyes quickly darted to the scroll, before returning to his figure, "Father."

Kizashi dropped his quill in surprise as he spotted his daughter's impatient eyes. "Ah, Sakura, I did not expect to see you in here."

Kizashi internally sighed as he looked at his young daughter's tense posture. Sakura at times had seemed like an enigma. His daughter's bright pink hair, and large green eyes suggested that she should be some other- worldly creature, like a fairy or pixie on the pages of one of his books. Yet it was the downward tilt of her mouth that mirrored his wayward wife that confirmed she was his. And he hadn't a clue what to do with her.

As a child, Sakura's imagination had been as bright and wondrous as the stars. And Kizashi saw himself within her. But has she had grown older, and his fights with Mebuki grew more strained, he watched as his daughter, like his wife slowly pulled away.

"Why do people in the market think Uzumaki Naruto is a demon boy?"

Kizashi's stomach clenched as the seemingly innocent question trilled from his daughter's lips. And while Kizashi knew that there was no way Sakura could know the truth, he also knew that she could find out the gossip on any street corner if she truly wanted to.

"Its just a silly rumour, sweetheart. You know how the village is after the nine-tails attack. And little Naruto has some, well, some interesting mark on his face. Marks that look-"

"- like a fox," Sakura finished.

Kizashi smiled at his daughter's cleverness, "Exactly."

Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion. In a town full of shinobi, there were hoards of people with all sorts of scarring, tattoos and deformities. It was odd that so many people- especially civilian adults would latch onto a little boy's peculiar facial features. "But demons don't look like humans. Why would people say that?"

Sakura watched as her father's dark eyes seemed to puzzle over the answer. This alone told her that clearly there was more to this Naruto boy than even her father was willing to share.

"Demon's don't have to solely take the shape of animals. Several books suggest that they can disguise themselves as any number of objects, elements, or even humans. But there is always something to mark them as different. An extra tail on an animal, green flames of a fire, or oddly shaped eyes on a human."

Sakura's eyes snapped to her father as she listened to him ramble on about how demons could disguise their forms. Her mind drifted away from the Uzumaki boy to the dusty old hand mirror that sat in her bedroom and the man within it. The man with the crimson eyes, and odd pupils. The _demon?_

"But why do they disguise themselves? They are powerful enough to not to have to hide."

Kizashi pondered over the question his daughter asked. And while the question was simple enough, the answers were far more complex, "Demons are tricky creatures, Sakura-chan. They are overwhelmingly powerful, and yet like every other being, they can be vulnerable to something. But more than that, a demon's ability to disguise themselves helps them manipulate their prey."

Sakura shivered at the word 'prey'. But even with the unsettling image of a fox tearing into a rabbit on her mind, she still couldn't help but ask, "But _why_ do they need to manipulate people? Why not just take what they want?"

"Demons have to abide by rules, just like humans, Sakura. A demon cannot just take, without offer something in return. It would upset the balance of nature."

Sakura pondered on her father's words for a minute. She supposed it made sense. Humans always had a price to pay for power- why not demons? But try as she might, she could not imagine a demon granting a human a request. "But father, how then could the nine tails attack so many humans?"

She watched as her father's eyes darkened, "Perhaps someone angered him. Or perhaps someone asked for something they did not truly understand. Demons are tricky Sakura- whatever they offer you will not be what you are expecting. And whatever wish you have asked of them has a habit of turning awry quickly."

"What do you mean?"

Her father shifted in his chair, "Say you asked for everlasting life- you would be granted your request, but perhaps be forced to live forever with a painful illness, not _truly_ living... Or if you asked to be wealthy beyond measure, you might find yourself suffocating in a pile of gold."

Sakura bit her lip as she considered her father's explanation, "But then, why do people approach demons if the results are not what they truly desire?"

Kizashi sighed, "Just as demons are manipulative, humans are basely selfish creatures. People often forget the consequences of their actions when the promise of their desires being granted are in front of them."

Sakura remained silent as she mused over the information. "So Naruto-"

"-is a little boy," her father finished.

"Perhaps I could invite him over to play..." Sakura stated, watching her father carefully.

Kizashi stiffened, and Sakura watched his mouth tilt downward, "He is quite the troublemaker Sakura-chan. I'm not sure I want you making friends with a boy like him."

Sakura huffed before spinning on her heal and stomping out the office. As she trudged her feet up the stairs, she couldn't help but suspect that her father wasn't be quite truthful with her. Or at least he was leaving some very important details out.

The young girl shuffled over to her bed and unceremoniously flopped onto the pastel pink bedcovers with a grunt. Eyes staring at the ceiling, she thought over the information she collected from her father. Her teeth pulled at her lip as she thought about demons.

As a child she had been surrounded by her father's research, never fully understanding it. And when her mother left, she never wanted to look at another text on the foul creatures again. But the news she heard today intrigued her.

She let out a sigh, as her green eyes drifted over to the dresser and the seemingly innocent hand mirror that sat upon it.

The man in the mirror _had_ to be a demon. If everything her father said was true, he fit the description. For his face may have mimicked a human's, but those eyes never would.

…But at the same time she couldn't fathom how a being that could be powerful like the fox demon was residing in _her_ bedroom. How did he get there?

Eyes alight with curiosity and more than a bit of fear, Sakura rolled off of her bed and onto her toes. Creeping across her bedroom floor, she approached her mother's old mirror that had somehow claimed a space on her dresser with the same amount of caution one would apply to a poisonous snake.

Small fingers ghosted across the dusty surface before finally settling on the handle. The silver was cool to the touch. Inhaling deeply, Sakura gathered her courage, while reminding herself that this wasn't the first time she had gazed upon the being in her mirror… But this would be the first time she dared ask him a question.

She flipped the mirror over and had to bite back her gasp as those inhuman eyes looked out at her through the fringe of his red hair. He did not smirk at her like she expected him to. Instead he watched her with his predator's gaze, eyes fixated on her own, as if he was trying to ensnare her.

"Feeling brave, little girl?"

Sakura inhaled sharply as the demon spoke. Her fingers nearly letting go of the mirror's handle on reflex as she let his voice wash over her. And while his words were a harmless taunt, his voice was something else entirely. It was deep, and rich, and held the promises of both dark and intriguing things.

If she had been a _brave_ girl, she would have jutted her chin out in defiance and narrowed her eyes. She was _not_ the one stuck in a hand mirror after all. But Sakura could not find it within her to mask her fear.

 _The demon had never spoken to her before._

Steeling her nerves Sakura opened her mouth, "I had a question, demon-san." She hated the way her own words sounded timid.

The male in the mirror cocked his head slightly as he studied her. Sakura tried to hold in her flinch as she felt his oddly shaped eyes scan her young face. She felt the power radiate from his stare he considered her.

After a moment, his lips titled in a smirk and Sakura felt her own nerves crumble at the sight, "Alright little pet, I'll answer one of your questions... if you answer one of mine."

Sakura swallowed thickly. She did not like the way his sharp teeth had peeked through his smile as he said this. Her father's warning about demons being manipulative flashed across her mind, but she hastily shoved it to the side, as his expectant eyes traced her face, " _Al-alright_."

She watched the demon watch her expectantly; unsettled as the spaces around his devastating face still managed to reflect back the image of her room.

Clearing her throat, Sakura finally asked, "Demon-san, do you know the nine- tailed fox?"

Sakura watched as the demon's almost lazy stare became alert, "My, my little pet, what an _interesting_ question."

Sakura's insides burned as those deep red eyes bore into her own. She tried to keep her hands steady on the handle of the mirror as she awaited his answer.

"Sure I know him, doesn't everyone?" the demon answered, eyes glinting with amusement.

Sakura felt her temper flare and bit down on her lip sharply to prevent the glare from slipping out. She watched as his keen eyes traced the indents her teeth made with a tilt of his lips.

It was just as her father said- he had answered her question, and yet not really. She wanted to know if he knew that demon that had wrecked havoc on her village _personally_. Sakura opened her mouth to clarify, but he made an odd purring noise, as if to tut her.

"Now, now, little pet, it's my turn," the demon said, sharp eyes, blinking into a more lethargic type of triumph.

Unease prickled at her conscious. But really, what could be the harm in answering a simple question? She _was_ just a little girl after all. What sort of knowledge could she possess that a demon could use in a nefarious way?

"What is the date today, little pet?"

Sakura's eyes widened in wonder. She had never really considered before how long he had been stuck in her mirror. He had simply always been there. But did he feel the passage of time like she did?

"Its April 28th, of the 4th age," Sakura replied and watched as his eyes became unfocused, clearly thinking over the information. She took that moment to breathe an internal sigh of relief. His question after all, had been quite harmless.

His eyes snapped back up to her, "Thank you _pet,_ " the demon drawled, dragging out the infernal nicknamed.

Emboldened by her thus far successful encounter, she openly glowered at the creature, frown pulling tighter as she watched his answering smirk grow wider. "My name is Sakura _,_ not _pet_!"

And the moment her name fell from her lips, Sakura watched as the strange pupils widened, and his smirk grew, showcasing a full smile of brilliant white teeth with sharpened incisors. A sensation similar to ice being slipped down her spine washed over her… Perhaps it was not such a great idea to let a demon know her name- even one trapped in a mirror.

"Well then, nice to meet you _S-a-k-u-r-a_ ," the demon said, darkness dripping off every enunciated syllable of her name.

Sakura visibly shivered, but couldn't look away, her gaze trapped in his feral red ones. "What is your name, demon-san?" Sakura questioned almost inaudible due to her fear.

She swallowed hard as his fixated gaze radiated power, "My name, little Sakura," he smile went cold, "is Sasori."

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed my intro!**

 **FYI, this story is going to take pretty major liberties with cannon (as I'm sure you 've noticed). So hop on your suspension of disbelief boats, and enjoy the ride!**

 **Naruto does not seem to have any fixed timeline and it always confused me that it seems old world, but has random technology thrown in. So I made up a date. Lets just go with it.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	2. Shallow Waters

**Chapter 2: Shallow Waters**

" _When a flower doesn't bloom,_

 _you fix the environment_

 _in which is grows,_

 _not the flower"_

 _-Alexander Den Heijer_

Sakura's brows pulled together in immense concentration as she brushed the vibrant blue polish onto her big toe. She scowled slightly as the paint smeared across her skin… If Ino had been around, she could have helped. Her scowl deepened- _Ino wouldn't be around any more._

Wiping away the imperfection, Sakura shook those lines of thought away. She didn't _need_ Ino as a friend anyways. Studying the bright blue paint on her toes, a triumphant smile lit up her pixie features. Sasuke- kun would be so impressed; blue was his favourite colour after all. She was sure that her stoic classmate would cast her an admiring smile once he saw her delicate toes painted in the shade he always preferred to wear.

Sakura's smile deepened when she thought of how Sasuke- kun would surely ask her to eat lunch with him. Her teeth bit into her lip as she thought of the envious glare Ino would cast upon her. Sighing, Sakura stood up- it didn't matter. _Ino didn't matter_. The tall blonde girl was no longer her friend anymore. Sakura stretched and fervently ignored the hurt feelings that rattled around her ribcage as she thought about that.

"You're not still sighing over that bratty boy in your class are you?" a deep voice asked, condescension dripping from his tone.

Sakura shot a glare at the sliver mirror propped up against her nightstand- or more specifically, the demon within the mirror.

Sasori arched an eyebrow in response and Sakura huffed. Two years ago when she had spoken to the demon in the mirror, she had been terrified. But over time, and more conversations, she had grown comfortable with her imprisoned companion. It had been _nice_ to come home and have someone to share all the details about her life with. Her father had always been far too busy hiding away in his study to ever listen to her.

On the days when the village girls had teased her for her wide forehead, or bright pink hair, Sakura had come home in tears and the demon had been, well, admittedly _unsympathetic._ But his hissed suggestions about violent retribution always made her feel slightly better, even if she was not going to follow through with decapitation or poisoning their canteens.

When Sakura had arrived home flushed with excitement, wearing a new red ribbon in her hair, gushing about how Yamanaka Ino had stood up for her, the demon had looked even more unimpressed. He chastised her for not having the backbone to stand up for herself. But Sakura, hadn't cared- she danced around her bedroom waving the silky ribbon in the air, feeling accomplished. She had a _friend._ A brave friend with fierce blue eyes and an arrogant smile. And Ino wasn't just any friend Sakura though with pride, she was a girl that hailed from a _shinobi_ clan.

Sasori may have been thoroughly uninterested in the rose haired girl's new friend, but Sakura was _ecstatic_. She gushed about how wonderful Ino was, and how she couldn't wait to practice flower- arranging and go for tea- parties with the girl. The demon had rolled his eyes more times than she could count, but Sakura had continued on, too happy to let him dampen her mood.

And for one blissful year, Sakura and Ino had been thick as thieves. Ino had helped her grow tougher, and Sakura had helped the blonde girl stay focused in her studies. They made a dynamic pair of future kunoichi.

That was, until Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura would adamantly defend that she had _always_ noticed Sasuke- kun. It was hard not to as a non-shinobi clan girl attending the shinobi academy. The only real skill that she, like her father had brought to the table was her intelligence. While other children had demonstrated finesse in running, or basic jutsu, Sakura had not. She remained largely subpar in both physical and jutsu based skills- but she was _smart._

Still, it was a bitter pill to swallow that she was largely considered talentless. Just like her _father._ So when it came to tests- knowledge, survival tactics and battle formations, Sakura had proven that she was an asset- that she could get better. But whenever her test scores were published, she couldn't help but deflate a little. She was often listed as number one, but occasionally she was dropped to number two. And the name sitting above hers was often _Uchiha Sasuke._

The boy at the top of their year in everything. It would have been easy to hate him. He was seemingly _perfect_ at all shinobi arts. But with his cool indifference and aristocratic features, Sakura had found it much easier to admire the most talented boy in their class.

He was just so _cool,_ she had confided in Sasori. It had earned her a disdainful snort, but Sakura hadn't paid it any mind. She and Sasuke- kun were destined to be together.

But last spring, when they had been walking home from the academy, Ino had proclaimed the very same thing. Sakura felt her heart drop as she watched the blonde girl confidently sound out, 'Uchiha Ino'.

"It isn't fair," she cried later that night, arms clutching her pillow as she stared into the silver hand mirror.

"What isn't fair?" the demon asked, bored indifference resonating from his crimson eyes.

"Ino _likes_ Sasuke-kun," Sakura spat.

She sniffled into her pillow for a moment before returning her attention to the mirror. The demon had his head tilted and studied her with lazy eyes and a slight smirk.

"You're jealous," Sasori purred.

Anger that had just started to wane roared to life. _Jealousy_. What an ugly word. But Sakura had to admit that if it were her own reflection staring back her in the mirror, her face would have been clouded with it. And only because the being staring back at her was a demon did she feel comfortable admitting it.

Her lips tugged downward, "Ino gets _everything_ she wants. She is tall and pretty. She is good at katas and taijutsu. She is even at the top of the class at flower- arranging. It's not _fair!_ "

"And I suppose her marks are even starting to match yours? Those low level test scores are starting to climb…" Sasori said, words prodding at the gnawing fury inside her gut.

Sakura's eyes, wild with envy fixated on the demon's oddly shaped red ones. Her emotions were starting to make her throat thick. Why did her only friend have to best her at everything? Sasori's eyes bore into her own, and she felt oddly comforted.

"Why does she have to like _him_?" she whined softly.

"Maybe she just wants to take him from you?" Sasori suggested, voice compellingly soft.

Doubt trickled into her haze of anger… Ino was her friend- she wouldn't want to hurt her... right?

"But Ino doesn't know about my crush on Sasuke- kun," Sakura implored.

"Doesn't she?" Sasori whispered, "Isn't she try to steal one more thing away from you? Make you look weak, _pathetic_ …"

Sakura's eyes narrowed in response. Sasori was right- Ino was always trying to find ways to one-up her. _Ino was not her friend_!

And the next day when Ino showed up at her house ready to walk her to school, Sakura told her so.

Guilt bloomed in her heart as she watched Ino's blue eyes crumple in hurt. But a moment later, when Ino's full lips twisted in a cruel smirk and she tauntingly said, "Like he would marry you, _forehead girl_ " Sakura squashed that guilt. Ino's taunts had just proven that Sasori was correct- Ino was trying to make her look pathetic.

"He doesn't go for idiots like you either, _pig!_ " she hissed back.

And from that day on the two former friends started their competition. Half of the time Sakura forgot that it was Sasuke that they were fighting over. She just felt the overwhelming need to beat Ino- to _win._ If Ino had taunted that she could get Sasuke to smile at her first, Sakura would be at the boy's side instantly, offering him sweets from her bento; willing him to smile at her. If Ino had proclaimed that Sasuke liked girls with long hair, then Sakura would sit in her bedroom, methodically brushing out her pink locks. If Ino tried to impress Sasuke with her flower arrangements, then Sakura would with her test scores.

Sakura was loathed to admit that Sasuke didn't actually seem to warm to any of their methods for capturing his attention. Then again, he hadn't seem to warm up to anyone. But she was confident that her blue toes would work this time!

"What exactly is your plan once you win his heart, little pet?" Sasori asked, his eyes following her from the mirror as she put the nail polish back on her shelf.

Sakura glowered. As nice as it was to have someone to talk to, the demon had an infuriating habit of questioning her- especially when it came to her ideas about love. Love was a simple enough concept to her, so she wasn't sure why Sasori always looked at her with disdain when she spoke about her and Sasuke's future epic romance. But he _was_ a demon- so perhaps that explained his shallow knowledge on the subject. And she hated his stupid nickname!

"Marry him, _obviously,_ " Sakura answered.

"And become Uchiha Sakura…" Sasori drawled.

Sakura brightened; _Uchiha Sakura_ sounded lovely. Her smile widened as she looked at the demon in the mirror- he finally seemed to be getting it.

"I wonder how much you know about the Uchiha clan?" the demon purred.

Sakura grabbed the brush from her nightstand and begun working on her waist length hair, "Mm, not much," she sang. Sasuke- kun had never talked about his family. All she knew was that they were a shinobi clan.

Sasori's smile widened, "Perhaps you should have painted your toes red- I think little Sasuke would prefer that colour."

Sakura's rolled her eyes, "I think I know his favourite colour better than _you_ do."

Sasori's laugh, as always, sounded sinister. But Sakura had grown accustomed to the sound and continued brushing her hair. The demon's red eyes followed the brush's movements with a languid sort of satisfaction. He always looked pleased at the strangest actions.

"Are you excited to find out who your team-mates are?"

Sakura's eyes darted over to her desk where her brand new nin headband sat. She smiled at the sight of it- she was a _real_ shinobi now.

Throwing her brush onto her dresser, Sakura flopped down on her bed letting her legs swing to make sure her painted toes wouldn't smudge. "I hope that I'm teammates with-"

"-with Uchiha Sasuke," Sasori finished for her. "So you can begin your fated romance."

Sakura ignored his sardonic tone, as he was correct. It would be perfect if Sasuke- kun was on her team. Biting her lip, she considered who amongst her other classmates she wouldn't mind be paired with.

Not Ino for obvious reasons. And as much as Sakura didn't mind Hinata, she really didn't want to have another girl on her team if she were paired with Sasuke. Kiba was strong, but his lack of manners was appalling. Shino was _weird_. Shikimaru was lazy, though admittedly smart. Choji followed Shikimaru around worse than Akamaru did Kiba. And Naruto… Sakura shuddered- Naruto was an _idiot_.

"You haven't told me about what the final academy test was?" Sasori asked.

"We had to create a henge," Sakura answered, watching as Sasori's eyes turned thoughtful. "My henge of Iruka-sensei was _perfect_."

Sasori's lips tilted upwards in amusement, "You didn't have trouble with your chakra?"

Sakura's gloating abruptly stopped. Her henge may have been perfect and she hadn't had any trouble manipulating her chakra into doing the intended jutsu, as some of her other peers had. The problem was, she didn't have much chakra in the first place. So gathering it, even for a simple jutsu _had_ been difficult.

The weight of her silence was telling and Sasori's stare bore into her. "You need to stop worrying over nail polish and start getting physically stronger if you want to keep up with the others." Sakura wrinkled her nose. "You don't want them to leave you behind…"

Her teeth worried her lip as she thought over the demon's words. She knew she had to get stronger. She wanted to get stronger. The entire reason she wanted to be a shinobi in the first place was because of people like the Fourth Hokage.

Yet, anxiety warred in her gut. She didn't _like_ physical training. It made her sweaty, and more often than not she made a wrong move and fell in the mud, which was both gross and embarrassing. The handle of her training kunai had bit into her soft palms so much that hard calluses were starting to form on her skin. And once, when she was facing off against Shino, he landed a punch on her shoulder that had both hurt and created a massive bruise.

Ladies did not let mud get on their clothes. Ladies did not have roughly callused skin. Ladies did not let ugly purple bruises mottle their skin. And Sakura had overheard Ami gossiping that the kind of girl Sasuke would want for a wife was a _lady._

She hadn't confessed her reasoning to anyone, not even Sasori, knowing the tirade of insults he would throw at her.

"If you don't get stronger, little pet, you are going to end up just like your father," Sasori crooned.

Sakura scowled at him, but it lacked gumption. Perhaps… perhaps being a scroll like her father wouldn't be so bad? If she were a shinobi scholar, she would be able to stay in and tend to her home…

"You don't want to end up like him," Sasori whispered, "you want to be a great shinobi… don't you?"

It was true- before she had met Sasuke- kun she had loathed the idea of being a scroll. She wanted to be a brave warrior. Her lip lifted a little as the hero that inspired these feelings brought down a demon, while the demon in her mirror tried to set her straight.

"I don't have to decide everything today," she said, eyes meeting Sasori.

A shiver ran down her spine as she looked at him. Every once in a while he would adopt a look that would remind her that he was not a simple mirror used as her diary. He was a demon.

"Get some sleep little one, you will have a big day ahead of you," Sasori answered, face smoothed of emotion.

"Goodnight," she whispered, turning out the light.

The next morning Sakura rose from her bed, nerves scuttling down her spine. Today was the day she would be placed on a genin team.

Sauntering over to her wardrobe, Sakura perused through her dresses, trying to settle on which one Sasuke-kun would like best. Sasori's words from the previous day ghosted through her mind, 'perhaps you should have painted your toes red…' Rolling her eyes at the demon's nonsense, she still grabbed her brightest red dress.

After donning her outfit, Sakura spent the next forty minutes meticulously brushing her hair and securing her new nin headband in place.

"You know, you would be twice as strong if you spent half as much time on your appearance," Sasori drawled.

Sakura ignored him as she tied on her sandals. What would demons know about how important it was to be pretty? About how hard it was to catch the boy of her dreams?

"Do let me know how it goes," Sasori said as she was heading for the door.

Sakura paused and offered the demon a smile. Her father hadn't even thought to ask her about the test… It was so _nice_ knowing someone cared- even if that someone wasn't human.

Five hours later, Sakura had a vicious scowl on her face. This was the _worst_ day ever. It had started when she had to race other girls to claim the favoured seat beside Sasuke-kun. And after that Sakura was sure she had witnessed the most horrifying incident known to man; it should be considered a crime. Shooting Naruto a dark glare, the image of him _stealing_ Sasuke-kun's lips in that most coveted first kiss.

A brief moment of elation came when teams were announced. Haruno Sakura was listed off beside Uchiha Sasuke- just like it should be. Granting Sasuke-kun a full smile, her heart fell a little at the dark look on his own face. Her moment of triumph was robbed when along side their names, Uzukmaki Naruto's was called. Sakura had glowered at the kiss stealer when he shot her an excited grin.

After a failed lunch, where Sakura had tried to cajole Sasuke-kun to eating with her and having Naruto ruin her attempts, she had stomped back inside. They were to meet their jounin-sensei.

Sakura blew some hair out of her eyes as she shot a nasty look at the clock. She had watched with slight awe, as the instructors had come to collect the other teams- offering Ino a gloating smile as the taller girl left. The jounins looked so _powerful_. But after two hours of waiting, Sakura was starting to think that her own jounin sensei was clearly an idiot who couldn't tell time.

Naruto had also loudly shared these sentiments. Sakura watched with unimpressed eyes as he set out a prank for whichever man or woman walked through the door. Her eyes critically took in the chalkboard erasers and silently promised a Naruto a pounding if any of the dust settled on her outfit.

The orange clad boy had loudly giggled before settling into his seat. Sakura looked over as Sasuke had loudly scoffed, "Our sensei is never going to-"

Three young eyes turned to the door, as a tall man with silver hair, and a masked face walked through the door, a cloud of chalk dusk hazing over him as the two erasers dropped.

Naruto erupted in loud laughter, while Sasuke glared at him. Sakura bit her lip in worry as the man's only uncovered eye scanned Naruto's giggling form, before moving to Sasuke and then onto her.

"My first impression of you three is… I don't like you," the man stated before turning around and disappearing out the door. "We will meet on the roof," he called, voice trailing behind him.

She trudged behind Sasuke, to distraught to admire how close she was to the boy. Their sensei was already seated when the three arrived.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi," the man stated, once they had all sat down. "Today we are going to get to know each other better."

Sakura smiled brightly at the man- what a wonderful opportunity to get to know more about Sasuke-kun!

"State your name, and what your like, dislikes, and a goal you have for the future."

Sakura bit back a scowl as Naruto was already protesting, " _You_ first, sensei. We want to know about you!"

Her scowl fell as she looked over to the man curiously. Unlike the other jounins, Kakashi had a mask covering most of his face- even his nose. Sakura idly wondered if he was hiding some kind of hideous deformity. His nin headband covered one eye, but the other one, was dark and heavily lidded. He had gravity defying grey hair, and she was puzzled to know how old the man could actually be.

"Hm, there are some things I like, and rather a few that I don't. As for my goal-" he made a non-committal noise, and Sakura gaped at the man. "How about you Naruto?"

Sakura rolled her eyes as Naruto proclaimed for the hundredth time about his dream to be the hokage.

"And yourself?" Kakashi asked, and Sakura tried not to sink into herself as she felt the weight of the man's stare.

"My name is Haruno Sakura," keeping her voice soft. "I like-" her eyes darted over to Sasuke. She could never admit that, it would be far too embarrassing, "…anyways, I _dislike_ idiots" she said casting a look at Naruto. "My goals for the future are…" a voice that sounded suspiciously like Sasori's purred in the back of her head just as she thought about how she would love to marry Sasuke- _you need to get stronger or you'll be left behind…_

"Are what Sakura-chan?" Naruto prompted, his face a little too close to her own.

"Are _private_!" she glared at the boy, missing the way her new sensei sighed.

Three heads turned to their Uchiha teammate. Sasuke scowled under the attention. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't have any real likes, and I hate many things. I do not have a goal, I have a promise. I am going to _kill_ a certain man, and revive my clan!"

Sakura felt a shiver go down her spine. Well that was… odd.

"Right, now that you all know each other, you will be ready to face your genin test together tomorrow" Kakashi stated, standing up.

Three students followed suit, wide eyes on him.

"What do you mean, test?" Sakura hesitantly asked. She had thought they were already finished with tests.

Kakashi looked over at the three, "Tests to see if you will make it as a genin. Only ten percent usually do." He walked over to the ledge of the roof, "Oh, and make sure you don't eat any breakfast tomorrow if you don't want to be sick. We meet on the bridge at sunrise."

Sakura gaped as the man stepped off the roof. Shaking her head, she turned her attention to Sasuke, disappointed to see him already leaving.

"I'm so glad you're my teammate Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura glowered at him, "Idiot!" before hurrying home.

"Well, how did today go?" Sasori asked when she returned to her room.

Settling into her chair, Sakura thought everything over before meeting the red eyes in the mirror, "It was a weird day."

Sasori arched an eyebrow, "Tell me about your team."

"My team is-" Sakura thought over the correct word to use. Dysfunctional would probably be best. " _different_ ," she settled on.

"Oh?"

A small smile bloomed on her lips, "Sasuke-kun is on my team." The demon hummed. "And Naruto," Sakura bit out.

"Ah yes, the _demon boy_ ," Sasori said, amusement colouring his tone. When Sakura had shared Naruto's village nickname with Sasori he had been most amused. "Who is your instructor?"

"Hatake Kakashi," Sakura answered, "He didn't really give us any information on _who_ he is."

"I supposed you will have to find out. Be a real kunoichi and sneak the information out of him."

Sakura absently nodded and got ready for bed. She couldn't believe that after everything she would have to go through _another_ test. Worry clawed at her throat- what if she failed and had to leave Team 7?

The next morning Sakura grumbled as she got ready. Rising before dawn did not help her mood, as she had barely any time to brush her hair or pick her outfit. Dutifully skipping breakfast she wandered down to the bridge.

Sasuke-kun was already there, eyes closed as he leaned against the tree. Sakura felt her breath stopped as she took the time to peruse his face. He truly was the most beautiful boy she had ever seen. He looked like a prince from a fairy-tale.

When his dark eyes opened and caught her staring, she felt a hot blush rise in her cheeks. "Good morning Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," he grunted before turning his face away from her.

Feeling chastised, she sat and waited. When Naruto joined her, Sakura felt as though the more violent parts of her personality were being tested. He was loud and silly and would never leave her alone!

"Where the hell is Kakashi-sensei? It's been hours!" Naruto complained, and Sakura shot him a disgusted look at his language.

"Sorry Naruto, a kitten got caught up a tree and I had to help get it down," a deeper voice said from behind the boy.

Naruto jumped before scowling at the man, "Liar!"

Kakashi ignored the boy and set an alarm clock down. "Today the three of you will be completing the bell test."

Sakura listened with growing dread and hunger as he explained the rules. She didn't want to go back to the academy. She wanted to stay here with Sasuke-kun! Her eyes fixated on Naruto- he had to be the one to go.

"Ready?" Kakashi asked. Sakura got to her feet. "Begin!"

Scrambling over to the nearest bush, she decided that hiding would be the best option for now. How on earth was she supposed to steal a bell off of a jounin? If Sasori was there, he would whisper all sorts of horrible ideas about how to steal it- ideas that would probably work.

The bushes rustled behind her and Sakura straightened her spine. Turning around, she felt her heart drop. Sasuke was walking towards her, his bloody fingers reaching out. Green eyes widened in horror as she notice the kunai littering his back.

" _Sakura, help me_ ," he whispered.

Swallowing thickly, she felt her vision blank. The ground made a harsh cushion, as the pink haired girl fainted.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I'm trying to keep Sakura in character, while not making her completely one dimensional for her younger years. So as the title suggests, she is pretty shallow. Which is surprisingly fun to write. Do not fear, she will develop.**

 **A helpful reviewer pointed out that I was mistaken in Sakura's parent's names. They have been updated to Kizashi and Mebuki- so if you read the first chapter and get confused, that it why.**

 **Also Naruto is still the nine tails container.**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	3. Whispered Potential

**Chapter 3: Whispered Potential**

" _Ability is what you're capable of doing._

 _Motivation determines what you do._

 _Attitude determines how well you do it."_

 _-Lou Holtz_

"It was the most embarrassing moment of my life," the pink haired girl cried from the nest she had made in her bed. Her arm was dramatically thrown over her face to cover the shame.

"I highly doubt that," the demon's voice answered in a velvety purr.

Sakura's brows pinched as she looked over at him. His crimson eyes looked brighter than normal. Gone was his lazy half-lidded stare. Now those eyes were unnervingly transfixed on her, pupils blown wide.

Shaking her head, she refocused on her humiliation, "I was covered in smelly garbage like a loser!" she wailed, thinking about the most recent D ranked mission she had completed with Team 7. "Sasuke-kun called me _annoying_!"

"You are annoying," Sasori replied, his voice guttural.

Unease trickled down her spine as she watched the demon inhale deeply before seemingly pressing his face against the glass. She had never seen him do anything like this before… anything that would even hint at him being able to get out of his glass prison.

"Why are you acting so strange?"

Eyes that were normally dark and uninterested now looked feverish, shining the colour of freshly spilled blood. She watched as he inhaled deeply again, nostrils flaring.

"You smell different," the demon rumbled, "you smell like-" his teeth gnashed together, " _virgin's blood_. It's mouthwa-"

Sakura flipped the mirror over. It was something that she occasionally did when Sasori's insults were more biting than sarcastic. But this time something was different. Never had the demon looked at her like that before. She shivered and scowled at the back of the ornate silver mirror. Growling about virgin's blood…what a _weirdo_.

Groaning, Sakura got out of bed and grabbed her forehead protector. Idiot Naruto had been whining so much about only receiving D ranked missions that Sakura was wondering if Kakashi had finally given in. Their silver haired sensei had asked them to meet at the Hokage's office after all.

Strolling down the street, Sakura thought on the past few weeks of being a genin. Despite telling Sasori that she hadn't made up her mind about whether or not she wanted to be a 'scroll', she privately thought fate was pointing her in that direction. Missions had not been kind to her.

A painful cramp below her naval made the absent- minded girl rub at the area. She was lost in thought about her training. The part of her that had been ecstatic about being placed on a team with Sasuke- kun was starting to die down. He and Naruto were so many leagues ahead of her that it wasn't even funny.

Sakura remembered a similar story that her mother had once scornfully relayed to her about her father. How he was largely outclassed by his two other teammates. How they had passed the chunin exams, leaving him behind.

Huffing as she reached the tower, she tried to brush the thoughts away. As much as she knew that she couldn't stand on the same ground as her teammates, some part of her hated the thought of being left behind even more. It drudged up memories of her mother's bursting suitcases. Of watching the back of a blonde head walk down their laneway, never looking back.

She nervously nodded to the nin who was chewing on a senbon, guarding the Hokage's office. He sent her a lazy smile, gesturing for her to go in. Pushing all of her weight against the heavy door, Sakura hated that she had to put her effort into opening a _door_. She silently slipped inside, eyes darting to her two teammates, and surprisingly, her sensei. She supposed that the Hokage was the only exception to his tardiness.

"Ah, now that all of you are present, I have a mission for you," the wise voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen proclaimed.

"It better not be another D-ranked kiddie mission, old man!" Naruto grouched.

Sakura's mouth dropped in horror at the way he spoke to the most powerful shinobi in the village. She was even more shocked at the amused smile the elder shot the boy.

"Are you sure you can handle a higher ranked mission, Naruto? Your file says that you have struggled with a few of the D-ranked missions."

Sasuke scowled viciously, a hint of pink tinting his cheeks as Naruto loudly protested.

Sakura worried her lip, anxiety building. Naruto may have struggled with control on their past missions, but she had struggled with almost everything. She wasn't sure if _she_ could handle anything above a D rank.

"Alright," the Hokage said, holding up his hand to silence Naruto's protests. "I do need someone to complete an escort mission."

Sakura held her breath as the Hokage's eyes scanned her teammates before falling on her thoughtfully. She tried to mask her trepidation, knowing her teammates- knowing _Sasuke- kun_ wanted this.

"It is a C-ranked mission. You need to listen to Kakashi- sensei's every word," Sarutobi told them, amusement leaving his eyes. "Kakashi will fill you in on the details, after today's training."

"Okay my cute students, we meet at the training ground," Kakashi, announced. "First one there gets the honour of buying me lunch." He disappeared out of sight in a cloud of grey smoke.

Sakura stepped out of way, not wanting to get trampled by her male teammates. She wasn't even sure that either of them had paid attention to what the lousy reward was before they shot out of the door. All the two cared about was the competition. The need to win.

Giving a quick bow to the Hokage, Sakura hated that she thought she saw pity in his brown eyes. She stepped out the door, knowing that her wallet would be safe. There was no way she could beat Sasuke and Naruto to the training ground.

"Sasuke, you owe me lunch," Kakashi declared to the scowling boy once she had reached the field.

Naruto threw his head back laughing about how much of a bastard Sasuke was and how he deserved it. Sakura watched Sasuke's scowl deepen.

"Umm- I don't mind paying for Kakashi-sensei's lunch today, Sasuke-kun," she shyly offered. She could feel the blush warming her cheeks.

"Tch, don't be annoying Sakura," Sasuke grit out.

She quickly turned away, willing the tears to remain at bay. Her eyes snagged on Naruto's whiskered face, still chuckling. She glowered- it was all his fault!

The rational little voice in her head reminded her that it wasn't truly Naruto's fault that Sasuke- kun hadn't seemed to warm up to her despite her many attempts over the past few weeks. But the weak hold she had over her emotions seemed even more fragile today.

"What's the mission, sensei?" Naruto asked, bounding over to the man like an orange puppy.

"We will be escorting a famous bridge builder back to his home in Wave tomorrow."

Sakura's emerald eyes widened. Not only was it a C ranked mission- it was a mission out of the village! Her breath hitched. She had always wanted to leave the village and explore. Being a female, that left very few career options that would lead her outside of Konoha's gates… Being a female led to very few career options _in general_. Kunoichi were the exception. At the same time, leaving the village meant danger...

"It will be an overnight mission, so you will need to pack a week's worth of supplies. Try not to over-pack unnecessary items," Kakashi finished, lone eye swivelling to her.

A smile twitched on her lips. An overnight mission with Sasuke-kun? That didn't seem so bad…

"In order to prepare for this mission, you are going to spend today practicing your sparing. Sasuke and Naruto- you go first," Kakashi instructed.

Sakura sat down a few feet away from her sensei and watched the two boys square off. While she didn't particular _like_ Naruto, there was no denying he had talent. She watched as the blonde boy with seemingly endless amounts of energy whirled around Sasuke, arms flailing with punches. And because she _did_ like Sasuke, her eyes were drawn to the pale boy. His movements were calculated and fluid. If he hadn't been so sharp in his violent movements she would have compared him to a dancer.

"Are you okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura turned around, confused at her sensei's words. She tilted her head in question.

"You're hunched in on yourself," Kakashi explained, eye not leaving his favourite smutty novel.

Sakura straightened her spine, realizing the man was right. Her lower back felt sore as she stretched. "I'm fine sensei."

"Aha- gotcha bastard!" Naruto triumphantly shouted.

"Dream on, idiot," Sasuke snarled, jabbing one of Naruto's shadow clones out of existence with his kunai.

Sakura blinked and Sasuke had Naruto trapped in his nin wires.

"Alright, good job Sasuke. Naruto, remember to be aware of your surroundings. Sakura, you're up- you and Naruto," Kakashi called.

Standing to her feet, Sakura brushed the grass off her bottom and walked over to where Naruto's excited face shone. Facing off, she noticed the bright twinkle in his eyes as he smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Sakura- chan, I'll go easy on you," Naruto whispered, devilish smile on his face.

And for a brief moment hatred and relief warred within her. She _hated_ her weakness. But even more than that, she hated that it was so obvious to everyone. That even the dead last in their class was giving her a break. But she had to admit that a part of her was thankful that Naruto wasn't going to wrestle her to the ground like some sort of animal. That she would lose, but at least lose with her dignity in place.

Reaching into her weapons pouch, she gripped a kunai, as Kakashi called, "Begin!"

Nerves on edge, Sakura hastily moved out of the way as Naruto half- heartedly kicked at her. Her temper flared- how pathetic did he think she was? What would Sasuke- kun think of her? Striking like a snake, she sliced her kunai upwards, forcing the blonde to bend backwards.

"Wow- Sakura-chan, you almost got me," the blonde said, his voice encouraging.

Shifting her weight to the balls of her feet, she grit her teeth and attacked again. Frustration swelled as Naruto easily blocked all of her hits. She cried out, as Naruto's arms finally went around her waist and he tackled her to the ground. The exact position she _didn't_ want to be in.

"Sakura-chan, you're bleeding!" Naruto's horrified voice yelled.

Sakura frowned. Naruto hadn't even used a weapon to attack her, how could she be bleeding? She followed his line of sight to the dark red patch staining the crotch area of her white shorts. She felt as though her lungs, stomach and soul had sunk to her feet as she shifted her sticky thighs. She had never expected it, but she _knew_ what it was.

Her whole body froze in horrified shock as their sensei ran over to her, Sasuke slowly trailing behind.

"Oh," Kakashi lightly said, and her green eyes looked up to see a red tinge crawling over to top of Kakashi's masked face as he noticed _where_ the bloodstain was. "Sakura-chan, do you know what is happening to your- uh- _body_?"

She quickly nodded her head, feeling the tears well up in her eyes. If she had thought passing out during the bell test or getting covered in garbage was embarrassing, it was nothing compared to this. Getting her period for the first time during a spar with her all male team was _mortifying_.

"Why don't you head home for the day and rest? We will meet you at the gates tomorrow at seven," Kakashi said, not quite making eye contact with her.

Quickly getting to her feet, Sakura practically ran for the exit. Her embarrassment increased as she faintly heard Naruto question what exactly was wrong with her. Slipping out of the training ground, she didn't _want_ to hear Kakashi's explanation.

Her heart thumped in her ribcage as she entered the pharmacy and she couldn't quite meet the shop- keeper's eyes as she paid for her purchase. Securely locked up in her bathroom, she finally let the tears slip out as she read the instructions from the tampon box. It was times like this when she felt equal parts longing and fury for her mother.

As she settled into bed that night, Sakura looked over at the silver mirror and debated flipping it over. She just wanted to tell _someone_ \- to have someone walk her through this. If only Ino was still her friend… Sighing Sakura dismissed the thought. She rolled over, back facing the mirror. Sasori wouldn't be any help either. He was a demon after all- a _male_ demon. And she had inkling that his thoughts concerning blood would widely differ to most peoples…

The next morning, Sakura repacked her bag three times. Every time she hefted the heavy bag on her shoulders, she would slouch over. She reluctantly removed a few of her plainer outfits.

As she walked to the village gates, Sakura prayed that her team would have enough tact not to bring up the previous day's incident. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she thought back to the pair of stained shorts that now lay in her garbage can. Rounding the corner, her eyes landed on a hyperactive Naruto and a slouching Sasuke.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Naruto yelled, his bright smile widening. Sakura hesitantly nodded. "I- ugh- hope you're feeling better," Naruto sheepishly said, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Her lips tugged into frown as she felt the blush rise to her checks. _Why_ couldn't he leave the subject alone.

Naruto was saved from her biting retort by Kakashi's and their client's arrival.

"This, is Tazuna-san. He is a master bridge builder from the Land of Waves. We will be ensuring his safety on his way home," Kakashi introduced.

Sakura eyed the man, feeling slightly disappointed. He may have been a master bridge builder, but also seemed to be a drunk.

"These little _brats_ are supposed to keep me safe? I guess it's true what they say about the shinobi nations not being what they used to," Tazuna's booming voice slurred.

Naruto practically spluttered with outrage, "We are awesome shinobi," he fired back. "You are about to experience the best protection of your life."

"Shut up, dead last," Sasuke snarled as they strolled through the village gates.

"Sasuke, Naruto- you take front cover position. Sakura and I will cover the back," Kakashi instructed.

Sakura held in her sigh. She wanted to be beside Sasuke, but knew she still wasn't over the embarrassment from yesterday. She decided to take in the new scenery to distract herself. It was her first time out of the village- and one never knew if they would get this opportunity again.

Emerald eyes absorbed the thick foliage that contained various shades of green as they walked down the main road. It was beautiful. But it was not enough to completely distract her from the degrading tirade that Tazuna went on with increasing volume as they walked.

"And to think that they would supply me with kids barely out of their diapers as nin protection."

"Hey you assho-" Naruto growled, but was cut off as the large man continued.

"- that my hard earned money is being spent on three toddlers and their babysitter…"

Sasuke shot Tazuna a deadly glare. Sakura was tempted to laugh until she noticed Kakashi's frame tense from beside her. She looked over to the man, but the tension had already left his shoulders as they walked over a puddle in the road.

But as soon as her foot touched the dry ground again, Sakura heard a whistle pierce the air. It was pure instinct that caused her to duck out of the way of the flying shuriken. Something more primal and more dangerous than fear choked the air out of her lungs as she watched chains tangle their way around her sensei and pull until the man exploded.

Blood pounded in her ears as Sakura tried to get her brain to process the situation. Two men had sprung _out_ of the puddle and killed Kakashi-sensei. Everything the academy had ever taught her, everything she had ever read about enemies and protection flew from her mind as her fight or flight instincts came roaring to life.

A small part of her brain processed Sasuke diving into action, aiming a kunai at one of the men. But a bigger part had her terrified eyes transfixed on the other man who was steadily approaching her, armed with a sword. Her feet backtracked until she hit another body and Sakura vaguely heard Tazuna's terrified voice from behind her. Her hands dove into her weapons pouch, reaching for _anything_ that could stop the man.

Her hands froze and eyes widened as she watched a shining silver blade slice a thin line across the enemy's jugular. Hot crimson liquid sprayed onto her face and chest. Her body stood stock-still, as the unknown nin fell to the ground dead, Kakashi sensei standing with a bloody sword behind him.

She didn't hear Kakashi's praise of Sasuke's quick actions, or light chiding of Naruto freezing. She didn't even hear him when he derisively checked on the client standing behind her. Her eyes were fixated on the dead man in front of her, his blood steadily soaking the earth beneath him. It wasn't until Kakashi crouched down in front of her, masked face clouding her vision, did her eyes sharpen.

"I'm sorry if I scared you Sakura-chan," he said in a gentle voice.

Sakura swallowed; her throat felt thick. Her heartbeat picked up again as Kakashi's gloved hand reached up and swiped at some of the blood on her face.

"You will need to get cleaned up before we continue on," he said, gently shoving her towards a tree.

Her feet skidded a little as she ducked behind the tree, eyes frantically scanning the area for enemy nin.

"Don't worry, it's safe," Kakashi's voice reassured.

But the tenseness didn't leave her shoulders as she quickly dove into her pack and grabbed another red dress. Slipping off the current one, she tried not to let her hands linger on the patches that were wet with blood. Turning the garment over, she quickly wiped off her face before shoving the ruined dress back into her bag and doned the fresh one.

When she stepped back out from behind the tree Naruto was holding a kunai with his palm bleeding, determined glint in his eyes.

"That's a very nice sentiment Naruto, but we must decide as a _team_ if we should continue on. Now that we know the kind of enemies we are facing, this mission is way above the C rank you were given," Kakashi lectured.

"We promised to protect Tazuna and even if he is a bastard," Naruto said, eyeing the large man, "we should honour it."

"We have come too far to turn back," Sasuke added.

Four pairs of eyes landed on her and Sakura shifted her hips in discomfort. _She wanted to go home._ She wanted to curl into bed and erase the image of Kakashi's blade slicing through the enemy nin's neck like a hot knife through butter. She wanted to shower and cleanse her body from the sticky life substance that she knew was still clinging to her eyelashes. She wanted to wake up and brush her hair and decide on what colour to paint her nails. _Not this._

But the weight of her teammate's stares, of her sensei's expectations bore down on her. The weight of her own foolish ignorance shook her to the core. _'You chose this. Did you think it was going to be easy?'_ a voice that sounded like Sasori rang through her head.

"I- I think we should continue on," Sakura stuttered.

Naruto whooped, and Sakura's eyes widened as she caught Sasuke's approving look. When her eyes meet Kakashi's, the echoes of the blade flashed through her mind. He looked worried. She forced herself to smile.

But for the rest of the journey, as the two boys in front of Tazuna fell back into their easy banter, Sakura remained quiet. As her sensei quietly questioned the man for more details about their apparent enemy, Gato, she scanned the forest.

Relief washed over her exhausted body when they finally made it to Tazuna's house. Under normal circumstances, Sakura would have been embarrassed about her lack of manners during the introductions to his family. But she was too tired emotionally and physically to care. And when she crawled into bed that night, the same question that had been haunting her since Kakashi asked it on the rooftop rang through her mind.

 _What are your goals for the future_?

She fell asleep to the feeling of hot blood slithering down her neck. To menstrual blood coating her thighs. To drowning in it. _Blood, everywhere blood._

The next morning Sakura's eyes shot opened to see blue eyes and whiskered cheeks entirely too close for comfort.

"Naruto!" she yelled, taking a swing.

"Ouch, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, still smiling as he rubbed his abused shoulder. "I was only trying to wake you up! You look so pretty when you're asleep."

Shooting him a dark glare, she hissed at him to get out while she changed. Rummaging through her pack, Sakura quickly tossed aside the stained dress, taking care not to touch the crusted blood. Slipping on another dress, she went to join her team for breakfast.

"We are going to practice some chakra control exercises today," Kakashi explained, as he somehow managed to drink his tea without revealing his face.

Sakura sipped her tea ignoring the way Naruto had already launched into baiting Sasuke. His inane challenges continued as they made their way outside and out to the tree line.

"As you three already know, chakra is energy that all living beings contain," Kakashi said, and Sakura watched as the silver haired man planted a foot against the side of an aged tree. "As shinobi, we manipulate our chakra for most types of jutsus."

He stepped his other foot above the previous one along the trunk. "In order to master most jutsus, you need to have some sort of control over your chakra."

Sakura watched with interested eyes as their sensei scaled the tree. It wasn't exactly a new sight- she had watched shinobi jump and run across rooftops and the sides of buildings for most of her life. Yet she had never associated that skill with herself.

"You need to balance the amount of chakra you apply the tree to stay atop of it without either damaging the trunk, or sliding off," Kakashi said, walking back down. "Push and pull. Find balance."

Sakura inhaled heavily, this just seemed like another way to embarrass herself. She watched as Naruto barrelled towards the tree trunk, managing to run three steps up it before falling flat on his back with a shout. It was only when she saw Sasuke approach the tree on the other side of Naruto, eyes scrunched in concentration, did she dare focus on herself.

Eying the gnarled bark of the tree in front of her, she gathered her measly chakra to her feet. _Push and pull_. She took her first step cautiously, and when she felt her foot stick to the trunk as if she were walking horizontally, she added the other. Excitement swelled as she took another few steps. And then a few more. When she reached the top of the tree, she finally let a smile break out on her face.

 _Maybe she wasn't meant to be a scroll after all._

 **A/N: Hi everyone, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Thank you for those who reviewed. I didn't get a lot of feedback from the last chapter, so I am a little nervous that some of you are off-put by my take on, well, cannon Sakura. Don't worry- change in the cannon Sakura, and storyline have already begun!**

 **Sorry about the lack of Sasori in this chapter. I needed to get some groundwork laid out. He will be much more involved in the next chapter!**

 **As always, please review and let me know your thoughts!**


	4. The Fine Print

_Warning: We are getting into graphic violence territory here._

 **Chapter 4: The Fine Print**

" _You don't drown_

 _by falling in the water._

 _You drown by staying_

 _there."_

 _-Anonymous_

It felt as though her lungs were on fire. With every move she could feel her breath scrape up her throat like sandpaper. Still, she pressed on- right kick, left turn, shift her weight, punch. Her muscles were starting to shake with strain and black spots were dancing in her vision. It didn't matter; she _needed_ to continue- more katas, more taijutsu, more everything _…_

She had watched Sasuke- kun do this very same training exercise once. Sitting in the shade of a tree, she could still see him power though the moves with a glazed look in his eyes, as if his body had automatically followed the routine. She was positive that she did not look nearly as graceful. And because taijutsu wasn't something she particularly _liked_ practicing, her body was far from accustomed to these movements. She had to focus.

"I think you should take a water break now Sakura-chan," Kakashi's voice called from the side of the forest clearing they had been working in.

Bending over, she heaved in deep breaths before limply walking over to her canteen. She slunk down in an unladylike heap. Later she was sure she would be horrified at her lack of grace, but for now she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was the cool water quenching her parched throat.

"Easy," Kakashi cautioned, gripping her canteen to help control the water that had already started running down her neck.

She choked a little and felt her sensei's large hand pat her back. Inhaling slowly, she lowered the canteen.

Kakashi-sensei had been babying her. She figured that he felt bad for killing a man in front of her- of scaring her. And truth be told, he _had_ scared her. Logically she knew that the lackadaisical man was a talented shinobi- he was a jounin, but watching him ruthlessly slit one of the Demon Brother's throats was frightening. Her eyes flittered over to the grey haired man, noticing that his eye was fixed on Sasuke, watching him practice his katas.

Sakura looked over to the boy. Sasuke, as always was perfect in his movements. She bit her lip hard as she thought of their last conversation.

 _Victory had electrified her blood as she stood at the top of the tree. Her arms stretched out and she felt the breeze on the tips of her fingertips. For the first time since becoming a genin, Sakura had finally felt like she was good at something._

 _Distantly she heard Kakashi-sensei goad the boys, but it didn't matter. She was too focused on melding the chakra in her feet and the exhilaration in her heart._

" _Sakura-chan, why don't you come down now?" Kakashi asked._

 _Tipping her head back, she noticed the man standing at the bottom of her tree trunk. She walked back down the tree, failing to keep the smile from her face. By the time she had reached the bottom, Kakashi had already wandered over to Naruto, berating him about damaging both his tree and nin sandals._

" _How did you do it?"_

 _Sakura straightened in surprise and met Sasuke's intense eyes. Giddy excitement bubbled within her. Sasuke-kun was talking to her! Initiating conversation with_ her!

" _I just did what Kakashi-sensei said. I gathered my chakra to my feet and used them like magnets to grip to the tree. Try coating the balls of your feet in chakra more so than the rest of them," Sakura answered, wide smile on her face._

" _Hn."_

 _It wasn't a thank you, but Sakura was too happy to care. Sasuke-kun had never tried to talk_ with _her before! Her green eyes followed his figure as he walked back to his own tree. She watched as he slowly stepped up the tree. He made it four steps before his sandals slid him back down again. Looking over his shoulder, Sakura felt all of the excitement swelling inside of her deflate as he shot her a cold glare._

 _Later that night as she was primping in Tazuna's bathroom, she overheard Naruto and Sasuke's uncharacteristically quiet argument._

" _Hey bastard, why are you being so mean to Sakura-chan today? You keep sending her grouchy looks! You heard what Kakashi-sensei said, girls are sensitive!" Naruto whisper shouted._

 _Sakura paused the movements of her hairbrush and pressed herself closer to the bathroom door._

" _You may be dead last, but she is dead weight," Sasuke quietly snarled back. "And dead weight shinobi just end up being_ dead!"

 _Tears prickled at her eyes as she heard Naruto reverently defend her. She barely paid it any mind as she thought over Sasuke- kun's words. He thought she was dead weight- useless. And maybe… maybe she was. The events of the previous day- the enemy nin, Kakashi's sword, the blood spatter; she wasn't prepared for any of it._

 _Incapable shinobi could end up being scrolls like her father. But more often than not, they ended up in the morgue._

So when she woke up that morning, Sakura promised that she would _try_. That maybe Sasuke-kun wanted a lady for a wife, but he also wanted a capable kunoichi for a teammate. And Sakura could admit, only to herself, that she wasn't one.

"All right my cute students," Kakashi said, standing to his feet. "Since our chakra exercise from yesterday was somewhat successful, we are going to try doing it over water."

Sakura set aside her canteen. Water would be nice- she wouldn't even mind if she fell into it. She felt sticky with sweat and knew that her hair was probably a mess. She tried _not_ to care, but it was hard! She hated looking dirty in general, not to mention around Sasuke-kun. Getting to her feet, she could feel the muscles throughout her body groan in protest, but she dutifully followed the boys over to the lake.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, sudden thought crossing her mind. "Why are we still in Wave? Is out mission not technically over?"

Kakashi hummed a noncommittal noise.

"Sakura-chan, we can't just leave Tazuna _alone_! You saw those guys that were after him!" Naruto said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"You are both right. Our mission technically is over. But I sent word to the Hokage to fill him in on our predicament. We will stay here until he informs us what to do," Kakashi replied.

Sakura sat on the bank and watched as her sensei stepped _onto_ the water. It was odd how he swayed up and down with the small current.

"Remember- this will be more difficult than the tree because water is moving. I don't expect you to be able to master it today," Kakashi said, looking pointedly to Sasuke.

Sakura stepped over to the shore and just as she had done the previous day, she concentrated her chakra to her foot. Stepping onto the water made her smile- it was just like yesterday, push and pull. But when the wave came in, she felt water seep into her sandal. Her smile dimmed.

Trying again, she pushed the chakra into her foot, and when the next wave came, she let her energy move with the wave. _It worked_! She coated her second foot with chakra and tried again. It was a little more difficult having to concentrate on both feet. But after a few tries, and soggy sandals, success finally came!

She looked over to her sensei, but he was crouched down next to Sasuke. And in her moment of distraction, she could feel both feet sink into the water. She toppled into the shallows, feeling both annoyed at her failure, and relief at the coolness. When she finally picked herself up, Sakura noticed a man standing close to their group on the water. The bottom half of his face was covered in bandages.

"Well, well, the _Copy Cat Kakashi_ is here. I heard rumours, but I thought I would check to be sure."

Sakura swallowed at his mocking tone. And as the man shifted, a _ginormous_ sword came into view.

"And with pathetic little Konoha genin who can't even chakra walk on water. In Kiri we would have them assassinating each other by now," the man taunted.

"Sasuke, Naruto- run to the bridge and make sure Tazuna is alright. Sakura, go back to the house and check on Tsunami and Inari," Kakashi said, voice low and urgent as he shifted his forehead protector off of his eye.

She thought she saw a glimpse of red before she turned and took off running back to the house. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage as panic overwhelmed her. What if someone was in the house? What if someone had hurt the kind woman, and bratty boy they had been staying with? What if she had to fight someone? Why did Kakashi-sensei send her _alone_?

Chaotic thoughts rampaged through her mind, as she finally made it to the house. She needed a plan… Inhaling shakily, she reached in her weapons pouch and gripped her kunai.

 _"Where is he?"_ a thunderous voice boomed from inside the house.

There was no time to plan! Flinging open the door to the kitchen, Sakura watched as a large man backhanded Tsunami. Without thinking, she threw her kunai. It sunk into the man's shoulder with piercing noise that she was sure would haunt her at night. Both the man, and Tsunami screamed.

In his moment of pain, Tsunami reached behind her and grabbed a heavy wooden cutting board. Sakura's breath caught in her throat as the woman brought the board down over the man's head with a dull thud. His tall frame stooped face forward and hit the unforgiving floorboards.

"Where's Inari?" Sakura asked, surprised to find that her voice was calmer than she felt.

"He- he- went to find my- fath- my father," Tsunami stuttered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Blood dribbled down a cut in her lip.

"What's taking you so long Riku? Just skin the bitch and be done with it," a deep voice from outside the window demanded.

"Go upstairs and hide in your bedroom," Sakura whispered to the woman.

Tsunami's bloody lip quivered as she stepped over the fallen man. Sakura's eyes traced her as she darted up the stairs.

Her heart thundered double time as she heard the door on the other side of the house open.

"Riku- what's taking you so fucking long? Gato is going to be pissed!" The same voice from outside the window now spoke from the hallway.

Desperate, Sakura reached in her weapons pouch. There was nothing but nin wire, and soggy papers. Shaking, her eyes landed on the kunai, still embedded in the unconscious man's shoulder. Silently, she darted over to him. Her stomach rolled in protest as she gripped the metal handle. Yanking it out in one powerful tug, Sakura felt herself freeze when the prone man still groaned loudly in pain.

And in her moment of distraction a large hand gripped her hair and threw her back against the wall. Her lungs protested as the wind abruptly left them. She didn't have a moment to catch her breath, as thick fingers wrapped around her throat.

The man was short, but with thick, corded muscles. Sakura desperately tried to tip her head back as he leaned in, rancid breath heating her face. "Where's Tazuna?"

She couldn't breathe. Needed to breathe. _Need to breathe. Need to breathe. Need to breathe._

The man abruptly released the hold on her throat. She coughed as she tried to get air down to her lungs. Tears streamed out of the corner of her eyes. Before she could properly inhale, he grabbed her neck again and slammed her head against the wall.

" _Where's Tazuna!"_

Her vision blurred and ears rang with the force of the wood against her skull. In a blind panic, she raised her arm and slashed at the man's chest with her kunai. He cried out in pain and she lunged away from him. Rushing to the door, Sakura had almost reached the handle when she was tackled from behind.

Her chin scraped across the floorboards and she felt a large hand bite into her right hipbone. The man's other arm reached around her front, dull nails scrapping down her chest. Sakura let out an animalistic noise as she tried to buck her hips and get him off. He was too heavy. She felt his legs tangle with her own.

One arm still free, she used the handle of her kunai and slammed it into the man's face. A scream of pain, much more raw than the previous one came from the man and his arms released her torso. Rolling over, her heart stopped as she realized that she had hit the man in the eye. Blood rushed from the socket in furious streams. He snarled at her, hands reaching for her throat.

Time seemed to stop as she raised her kunai again. And she copied the move from her sensei, just like a good student. She moved the sharp tip against his throat. But unlike her sensei, it was not a quick, thin slice. She had underestimated how thick skin and muscle would be like under the steel. How hard it would be to part his flesh. Her blade tugged on his adam's apple and Sakura felt herself gag as she forced herself to finish the bloody slit across his jugular.

For the second time in her life, she felt another person's blood pour onto her face. Horrified green eyes watched the man's one dark eye lose focus as he choked on his own life substance. He coughed a stream of crimson that soaked into the creases of her lips. Sakura scooted backwards and hit the door. She watched as the man choked one more time, before he fell limp against the floor.

 _Dead._

He was dead. She had _killed_ a person.

Tremors shook through her body as her eyes fixated on the man who had drown in his own blood. Sobs wracked through her lungs, making her spine shake with the effort to hold them in. Her body froze when she heard footsteps at the door. Her hands tried to tighten on the kunai that was coated in blood, but the liquid slackened her grip.

Turning her head, she saw Tazuna standing at the door, distraught eyes tacking in the scene, before swerving to her. Crouching down, he approached her as one would approach a skittish animal. He reached for the hand clutching the kunai and slowly pried her bloody grip off the weapon.

"Now, now young one, are you hurt? Is Tsunami hurt?" Tazuna asked, voice soft.

She swallowed tightly, feeling the ache in her throat, " _No_ ," the word came out hoarse and burning.

"Okay," Tazuna said, his voice gentler than she had ever heard. "Let's get you up."

"No," Sakura gripped the man's sleeve. She watched his dark eyes flinch at her sudden movement. _He was afraid of her_. What an odd thought. She cast the notion aside, and stared imploringly at the man. "We need to move the bodies. I don't want _them_ to find out. I can't have Naruto, and Sasuke-kun find out."

Tazuna nodded sharply and stood to his feet, "Go fetch Tsunami. We will take them out back."

Sakura slowly got to her feet. Her body ached in places she didn't know could ache; not only from the attack, but her earlier training too. When she reached Tsunami's room, shame washed down her spine as the woman shrieked at the sight of her. Overcoming her fear, Tsunami took her back to the kitchen and sat her on a chair before talking to her father in hushed tones.

Sakura stared blankly at the dead man by the door. She did not want her teammates to know how much she had failed at a nin. Genin were not supposed to _kill_ and especially not civilians. For even though the two men were undoubtedly criminals- they bore no nin headbands. Claimed or unclaimed- they were not shinobi and she was _not_ supposed to kill them.

She closed her eyes as the woman and her father dragged the man outside. Her mind felt surprisingly numb as she picked up her kunai before sitting back on the chair.

"What should we do with this one, he isn't dead," Tsunami whispered to Tazuna.

"We will just-"

Tazuna was cut off as the door slammed open again. Naruto and Sasuke stood with Kakashi slung between them, his one leg sticking out at an odd angle. Inari peeked his head out from behind them, his face going white at the state of the kitchen.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto cried, "what happened?"

Kakashi's head snapped up and two eyes- one dark, one red, met her own green ones. She inhaled shakily and felt fire lick its path down to her lungs. She watched as Kakashi hobbled over to the chair opposite her.

"Sasuke, Naruto go upstairs and fetch the first aid kit," Kakashi ordered, eyes never leaving hers.

Naruto made to protest, but it died on his lips when Sasuke pulled him around the puddle of blood and up the stairs.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Kakashi asked in the same soft tone Tazuna had used.

She slowly nodded her head. Her silent answer hadn't seemed to appease him though, as she watched his oddly mismatched eyes scan her body. She knew he would find blood stained clothes, and possible rips. And while her body felt sore, she hadn't a clue if any bruises at mottled her skin yet.

"She helped me," Tsunami suddenly cried. "There was a man in the kitchen attacking me when she came in- she took him down." Tsunami's voice was shaky with tears, "She told me to hide when another man came in the house."

"Where are the men?" Kakashi asked, finally breaking her stare.

"Out back," Tazuna said, speaking up for the first time since the four males arrived.

And by the way Kakashi's spine straightened, Sakura was sure he understood the subtext.

"Got the first aid kit," Naruto shouted, barrelling back into the room.

"Good- you can use it on Tsunami's split lip, and any other injuries Tazuna, Inari and Sasuke have," Kakashi instructed. "Sakura-chan, why don't you go have a shower."

She slowly nodded her head before heading towards the hallway. Just before she reached the staircase, her gaze automatically turned to Sasuke. Surprise filtered through the fog in her mind as she noticed not his usual dark eyes, but red ones staring back at her. Red, just like the colour of the man's eye after she had crushed it with her kunai. She quickly turned away and made her way upstairs.

And only when the hot water was pounding against her aching back did she let the tears fall. They tore through her throat painfully- an uncontrollable force. She watched with swollen eyes as the water ran pink with the man's blood. She barely noticed as the hot water turned to cold as she curled up on the shower floor.

"Sakura-chan, are you, _oh_ -"

Her eyes looked up to see the concerned brown ones of Tsunami.

"Let's get you out of the cold," the woman said, gently taking Sakura's arms and hoisting her to her feet.

A distant part of her mind told her that she should be embarrassed at being naked in front of this woman. But she couldn't muster up enough energy to care. Tsunami draped a fluffy towel around her body and ran another through her damp hair before shooing her off to get changed.

Slipping into her pajamas, Sakura crawled into bed. She knew that her team might be worried. And she was positive that Kakashi-sensei had questions. But she couldn't help but slip into an exhausted sleep.

Waking up the next morning hadn't been easy. The moment she opened her eyes, the pain throbbing throughout her body made itself known. She wanted to dig deeper into her covers and fall back into a dreamless sleep. She wanted to burrow into the warmth and never face the kind of darkness that this mission had drenched her with.

Trying not to groan aloud, Sakura sat up and grabbed her pack. Slowly stepping out of her nightgown, she reached for her only clean dress. But as she stood to put the clothing on, movement caught her eye. Sakura turned and faced her reflection in the mirror. And as she took in the image, she wanted to cry again.

Her pale skin looked sallow in the areas that weren't marked. Green eyes traced along the scrapes on her knee that were already scabbing. She bit her lip as she noticed the large purple fingerprints biting into the flesh of her right hip. And up higher, nestled between breasts that were just beginning to swell with womanhood were four thick scratch marks. But worst of all was the bruise that sat a little higher. Her collarbone was swollen, but above it deep black smudges ringed her throat like a macabre necklace.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry and rage. But she _couldn't_. So silently she slipped on her dress and brushed through her hair, trying to pretend it was a normal day. That the hands brushing her hair hadn't been stained in blood only yesterday. That the bruise shining out from the high collar of her neckline was just decoration- not a mark of her attempted murder. She just needed… a moment- a moment to be normal.

Shuffling through her bag again, she pulled out a bright pink scarf. When she packed it, she thought Sasuke would think she looked pretty if she had it wrapped around her hair like a court lady. Now she was using it to hide finger marks marring her throat.

When everything was in place and Sakura felt as if she at least _looked_ normal, even if she didn't feel it, she slowly made her way down the stairs. She bit her lip as she noticed Kakashi-sensei sitting at the kitchen table alone, only one eye visible again, as he sipped his tea. A splint was secured to his left leg.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Kakashi said, eye discreetly scanning her form.

Sakura shuffled her weight, "Where are the boys?" She hated that her voice came out gravelly. Panic was starting to rise again- what kind of trouble was she in?

"Outside meditating."

The familiar answer should have calmed her, as Kakashi had been making them meditate at every training session. But the way his dark eye was looking at her did not quell the trembling fear gathering within her.

"Tsunami left some tea and miso soup for you. Come sit down," Kakashi said, gesturing to the small place setting across from him.

Sakura chewed her lip before trudging over to the table and planting herself in the chair.

"Eat," Kakashi ordered.

She didn't feel hungry. Her stomach actually rolled in protest, but she picked up her spoon anyways.

The soup had almost made it to her mouth when Kakashi said, "I talked to Tsunami and Tazuna about yesterday." Her spoon paused as her green eyes met his. "I would like you to fill in the rest."

She set the spoon back into the bowl, "You told me to go to the house. I could hear the man inside yelling at Tsunami. I didn't have a plan," Sakura said, hanging her head in shame.

Gloved fingers tilted her chin up and Sakura didn't want to meet her sensei's eyes for fear that tears would spill out.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. I _never_ should have sent you alone," Kakashi said, his voice stern, yet kind.

Sakura nodded and continued, "When I saw the man hit her, I panicked and threw my kunai- it hit his shoulder. Is- is he okay?"

Kakashi hummed, "he is in a medical holding cell."

Relief made her body slump a bit in her chair. At least she hadn't killed _two_ men.

"I heard the other man come in the house, so I order Tsunami to go upstairs. The man attacked me," Sakura said. The words felt so cold; numb from the overwhelming fear, pain and anger that had encompassed her body yesterday. "I fought back. He was choking me, so I… I-"

Kakashi nodded swiftly, understanding her unspoken words. "May I see your neck?"

She unravelled the scarf, watching as her sensei's eye widened, before his brow wrinkled.

"I have some painkillers. You will need to take them with your meal. After that we are heading back to Konoha. The Hokage sent word, our mission is complete."

She nodded her understanding and quickly took the little white pill before tucking back into her soup. She may not have felt hungry, but she knew she would need the energy on the way home.

After finishing her breakfast, Sakura quickly packed her belongings and met the boys outside. She said a thankful, but ultimately uncomfortable goodbye to Tazuna and his family. And as she walked down the road, Naruto filled her in on how the mist nin took on Kakashi, while his partner, Haku faced off against Sasuke. How Naruto had to go against Gato and his thugs, while giving Tazuna a chance to escape. The blonde boy prattled on about how cool Kakashi's water jutsu was and how Sasuke developed his sharingan bloodlimit against the young water nin. How his shadow clones took down the thugs, while Inari got help from the villagers.

She hummed at all the right places, smiled when Naruto emphasized a triumph, scoffed when he gestured about close calls. But she felt empty- unable to process it.

"So what happened back at the house? Kakashi- sensei wouldn't tell us _anything_ ," Naruto whispered, bright eyes trained on her.

She even caught Sasuke glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

She wished that she had some epic story. That she had used some cool ninjutsu technique to knock out the thugs. That she hadn't brutally impaled one man with her kunai, and savagely slit the throat of another. It was not a _brave_ story. It was bloody survival and she had not intention of ever letting her teammates in on it.

So she shrugged, "I got two men to leave Tsunami alone."

She didn't miss the way Naruto and Sasuke traded looks. But when Kakashi quickly chastised Naruto for using his kunai to swat at leaves, all was forgotten.

And by the time Sakura had made it home, she felt exhaustion that seeped down to her bones. Her father was out of the village for the week, visiting Fire's national library. The house felt eerily silent as she made her way to her room. Lying in her bed she replayed everything that had happened on the mission. The Demon Brothers, chakra walking, throwing her kunai, her head slamming against the wall, slicing her blade- she closed her eyes.

"I need to be stronger," Sakura whispered to her bedroom ceiling. "I _need_ to survive."

Rolling over her eyes absently scanned the items in her room cloaked in darkness, until they landed on the silver hand mirror. Whatever irritation Sasori had caused that made her turn the mirror had dissipated over the course of her mission. She needed to talk to someone.

Flipping over the mirror, she was met with Sasori's annoyed eyes.

"You have left me turned over for quite a long-" he paused his angry tirade and inhaled once again.

Sakura furrowed her brow. She hadn't really considered it before, but it was strange that Sasori could _smell_ through the mirror.

"You're injured," the demon said. If anything his tone sounded even angrier.

Sakura felt all of the emotions she had been harbouring within her finally snap. She did not want his _anger_.

"Yes," she spat. "I got injured. I am weak, just like you said. A _pathetic_ excuse for a kunoichi."

She watched the demon's frown grow deeper as he listened to her tirade. "What happened, little pet?" Sasori softly purred as she sniffled.

"I killed someone!"

Instantly, dark crimson eyes were alert, "You-"

"-killed a man. He was choking me and I panicked. I didn't think- there were _no_ thoughts. I slit his throat."

"You did what had to be done," Sasori's deep voice firmly stated.

She shook her head, "But did it? If I had any proper skills. If I had bothered to get better with my training, I could have subdued him some other way. He wasn't a shinobi, and I killed him." She kept rambling, pouring all of her thoughts onto the demon, "And now I don't know what to do. Dad said that the chunin exams always happen over the spring festival, which is in two weeks. And I don't know how I will face off against other nins, or if I will be able to protect my teammates."

"Deep breaths," the demon instructed.

Sakura paused and inhaled. Her throat still protested at the movement. "I don't know what to do, Sasori! I don't know how to get to the point where I'm not relying on instinct alone when fighting. I don't know how to master everything in _two weeks_."

She watched as the demon's eyes became cloudy for a moment. Sakura grew familiar with this look, and knew he was thinking something over. She waited patiently, feeling slightly cathartic now that her turbulent thoughts had been released.

"I could lend you some of my power," Sasori finally said, voice smooth.

Sakura froze as she processed exactly what the demon had uttered. " _What?_ "

His face remained serious, but his eyes were warm. "I could lend you a little bit of my power- just a _touch_. It would hep strengthen your body, ward off injuries…"

She exhaled heavily. The warning that her father had given her all those years ago had danced through her head. _Demons were manipulative. Everything came at a cost._

"I don't think it's a good idea," she quietly answered.

"I don't like seeing you injured pet. I don't like hearing about you having to face off against people that might _win_. Take some of my power. _Take it_ ," his voice was compellingly soft, just like those crimson eyes.

"But what would you want from me?" she implored, green eyes searching for malice. He usually wore his corruption proudly. But there was nothing but kindness staring back at her.

" _Sakura_ , we have been constantly companions for almost three years. _You can trust me_."

His voice echoed in her head. _Trust me. Trust me. Trust me._

"Okay," she breathed, barely a whisper.

A small grin appeared at the side of his mouth. It made him look young. It made him look more _human_.

"What do I need to do?" she asked. It couldn't be as simple as him simply wishing his power onto her.

"Now, I know you have been through enough pain, and I'm sorry it has to be done like this," Sasori said, red eyes melancholic.

"Like what?"

"You need to write your name in blood across the mirror," Sasori answered, eyes apologetic.

A part of her mind was screaming at her, _this is a bad idea._ The other part of her brain was making her relive the feeling of clammy palms squeezing the life out of her neck. She took her kunai- the same one that had killed the man in Wave and slit a line down her palm. Flinching at the pain, she missed the way the demon in the mirror shuddered.

Dipping her finger into the cut now oozing with blood, she the character for _H_ onto the glass. By the time Sakura had finished writing her family name, she had to pick at the congealing blood to get more to flood out. When she had finished her family name, Sasori had stopped smiling- but she hadn't noticed.

Letting more blood pool into her hand, she continued the characters for her first name. Just as she drew the final character for _S_ she noticed not the letters, but the demon behind them. He looked _feral_. Fear froze her as the final drop of blood dripped onto the mirror. Sasori sent her a savage smile, pointed teeth on display and began laughing madly.

A burning sensation like she had never felt before spread through her body. The rapid inferno ran rampant from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair. And amidst the demon's wild laughter, Sakura threw her head back and screamed.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am giddily drunk off of your reviews of the last one :D**

 **I know that some of you were really looking forward to seeing Sakura work with Team 7 in Waves, but I had to change things up quite a bit. Hopefully you like the changes! I'm a little nervous to see what you think of my fight scenes. In my head everything plays out smoothly, but reading it back feels a bit choppy.**

 **Please review and let me know you thoughts! I do love to hear your feedback and guesses as to the direction this story is heading!**


	5. Hungry, Thirsty, Crazy

_Warnings: Violence of a sexual nature is going to briefly show up._

 **Chapter 5: Hungry, Thirsty, Crazy**

" _I hold a beast,_

 _an angel,_

 _and a madman in me."_

 _-Dylan Thomas_

" _Wake up Sakura. Come on, open your eyes. Wake up Sakura. Wake up!"_

Green eyes snapped open and Sakura reached for her weapon's pouch, launching herself at the intruder who was gently shaking her arm.

" _Whoa_ , easy now," a familiar voice said, prying the kunai out of her hand.

Sakura blinked her eyes, letting the light filter out as she focused in on Kakashi- sensei standing at the foot of her bed.

"Sensei? What are you doing here?"

Sakura watched as the man furrowed his brow as he stared at her, cocking his head to the right. "Training started two hours ago- you didn't show up."

Her eyes incredulously darted to the pink alarm clock sitting on her nightstand. The arrows pointed to nine o'clock.

A blush heated her cheeks, "Ah- sorry sensei, I must have overslept…"

Kakashi hummed, "I suppose that is alright; your body is still recovering from your injuries. Just don't make a habit of it." His mask twitched and Sakura thought that it must have been hiding a smirk.

It was rich of him to complain of someone else's lateness.

"I will give you a moment to change and then we will head to the training grounds. Hopefully Naruto and Sasuke haven't caused _too_ much damage" Kakashi said, heading towards her door. He paused as his fingers grasped the handle, "Oh, and Sakura-chan, where is your father?"

Sakura frowned, "He is at the library in the Capitol."

She watched as the back of Kakashi's grey head nodded at the information before he slipped out the door.

Sakura slumped back in bed and groaned as the embarrassed blush heated her cheeks. She couldn't believe that her sensei had to come into her _bedroom_ to wake her up. She wondered if Kakashi- sensei thought of her as completely childish as he entered her overwhelmingly pink room.

She cast a critical glance around the room- from her lace curtains to the hoard of stuffed animals, her pink alarm clock, the silver hand mirror… She froze for a moment as she stared at the mirror- flipped over so her demonic companion couldn't speak. Her mind tingled, as she looked at the ornate silver; a memory like a wisp of smoke tantalized her. The girl shook her head as shivers caressed her neck. Huffing, she decided that Kakashi-sensei's opinion of her room probably only confirmed her 'silly little girl' status. But there wasn't really anything she could do about it.

Lifting herself out of bed, the young girl shucked off her pajamas before heading to her closet. As she selected one of her less vibrant dresses, her eyes caught her reflection. Sakura froze. Her body… her body was _flawless._ Well, not flawless, but unmarred. The scrapes on her knees, chest and chin had disappeared, leaving no hint that they had been there in the first place. The ugly black bruises that tattooed the man's fingerprints into her hips and neck had vanished. Only pale skin, stared out from her reflection.

" _Today_ , Sakura," Kakashi's voice reminded her from outside the door.

Reluctantly, Sakura dragged her eyes from the mirror and quickly slipped on her dress. Strapping on her sandals, she opened the door to find Kakashi studying a painting hanging from the wall.

As the two left her house, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Sure, Kakashi was her sensei, but she had never really spent any one- on- one time with him. Usually he was too busy helping Sasuke, or corralling Naruto. A heavy silence hung between the two, until they reached the training ground.

"I don't want you to strain yourself too much Sakura-chan. I know that you are still healing."

Sakura looked up at the man, but his eyes were already fixated on the boys. She didn't know what to tell him. She couldn't explain _how_ exactly her body had managed to heal all of her injuries in record time.

As they approached the pair, Sakura noticed that Naruto and Sasuke were in the middle of one of their ridiculous arguments when the orange clad boy froze. Her brow furrowed as she watched Naruto's head snap towards her and Kakashi, completely ignoring his rival. Naruto's uncharacteristically tense posture fully distracted her from her usual perusal of Sasuke as she stopped a few feet away. She watched as Naruto inhaled deeply, body shaking slightly.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, voice strained, "you smell different."

She shot the boy a scathing glare. She had bathed last night! There was no way she smelled bad!

"You need to get your head checked, idiot," Sasuke scoffed from behind him.

The taunting words were enough to break Naruto's odd transfixion. The boy whirled around, "Oh and _you_ don't, bastard?"

"Back to work everyone," Kakashi lethargically called, masked nose already buried in his orange book.

Training that day was a mess. Sakura had adamantly cursed herself for not paying better attention to her taijutsu lessons. She felt as though she had missed some important steps between beginner level, and the movements Kakashi- sensei was asking them to do.

But her real struggle came when Kakashi instructed them on some basic ninjutsu defenses. Self- loathing bubbled as she gathered her miniscule chakra to complete the simple replacement jutsu. Sasuke and Naruto had all but mastered the task on the first try, but on her fifth, she still struggled.

It wasn't fair to compare herself to her teammates. She knew that in theory. But reality left a bitter taste on her tongue. Her control over her chakra may have come easier to her than her teammates- but the actual amount of chakra she possessed was clearly much less than the two boys. She _knew_ her teammates were better than her. Sasuke-kun practiced every nin art as if his life depended on it. And as much as Naruto was a prankster, he had a natural talent that wasn't something to scoff at.

She _had not_ practiced like she should have. She had no special bloodlimit, or boundless chakra. She was a perfectly normal girl and an astoundingly underwhelming shinobi. And like Sasuke had hissed to Naruto- _dead weight shinobi ended up dead._ She couldn't afford to be a normal girl anymore. Normal girls did not become kunoichi- at least not successful ones.

The mission in Wave had opened her eyes to how fear, pain and death walked hand and hand with a shinobi. And if one wasn't prepared, these constant companions could easily consume a person.

So for the next two weeks, she pushed herself. Pushed her body to its limits. Made sure that not just Sasuke-kun, but her whole team would know that she was taking being a shinobi seriously. That she didn't need to be the damsel in distress any longer.

Each night she would come home, muscles twitching with strain, clothes dirty and stiff with dried sweat. She took to steeping herself into ice baths. Vanity had not quite given up its clutch on her though, as Sakura still ritually tended to her long pink locks every night. Every day it was the same tiring routine. And yet, Sakura noticed after the first week, every morning she would wake up with renewed energy. Muscles that had burned with fatigue, felt pliant again by morning.

"You are getting stronger," Sasori had said, strange glint in his crimson eyes, as Sakura had voiced her wonder.

"It's strange though, isn't it? Yesterday, one of Naruto's clones kicked me in the ribs. My skin was purple by the end of the day. And now… _nothing._ Not even a hint of a bruise," Sakura mused aloud, as she applied another coat of pale pink polish to her toes.

Sasori purred and watched her, satisfaction radiating from those otherworldly orbs.

"You have been oddly nice to me this week," she commented, suspicion settling within the corners of her mind.

"It's nice to see so much hard work pay off," the demon had commented, sharp teeth peaking out from behind his smile.

Sakura looked at the mirror, feeling a small burst of warmth for the menacing male inside it. He was _proud_ of her- that she was finally fulfilling whatever potential he had always seen. Not even her father had noticed the changes in her when he came back from his work trip. But Sasori _had._

The warmth of the demon's smug smile helped push her through two weeks of relentless training. All the way until the Chunin Exams arrived. Sakura had noticed almost immediately the influx of new shinobi in her village. It had taken the boys a bit longer to become aware, but after one run in with an odd boy from Sand, Naruto had all but _demanded_ that Kakashi sign them up.

Kakashi had given them another short speech on teamwork. How they all needed to feel prepared and willing to support each other before he would sign them up. And just like on the road to Wave, Sakura had found three different coloured pairs of male eyes gazing at her. As if her opinion would actually make a difference if they continued on.

"Of course we will take part in the exams," Sakura had stated, her tone suggesting that Kakashi had asked some ridiculous question. It did a good job of masking her hesitation.

It was how she ended up gathered around the old academy examination building with the rest of the Rookie Nine and genin from across the shinobi nations. Green eyes darted around, watching herself- _her team_ be watched. If Naruto could keep his idiotic mouth closed than it would be a lot easier to stay conspicuous.

A female nin with dark purple hair, and a mesh bodysuit sauntered out the doors. She sneered as she looked over the group, "Alright, you brats can enter the test room, get ready for what Ibiki has in store…"

Sakura frowned as she entered at the building. It had a slight sheen to it. The air around it warped in a near faint shimmer… _genjutsu_. She gripped the back of Naruto's jacket before he marched up the stairs, no doubt allowing their team to be disqualified.

It was the first rudimentary test… thankfully they had past. Unfortunately many other groups did too. Sakura shuffled forward feeling as if she was being suffocated by enemy nin. She bit her lip- some of these people were her old classmates; she shouldn't be thinking about them as enemies. And yet… the only allies she _really_ had right now were Naruto and Sasuke.

Sitting down in the examination room, she tried to bat down the anxiety growing within. In the past few weeks, her desperation to grow stronger had only really focused on toning her physical nin skills, not her intelligence.

A written test was placed in front of her. The man, Ibiki, with his horribly marred face and growling tone explained the rules- and what happened to those who broke them.

Flipping over the crisp white sheet, Sakura gazed at the first question. It was a riddle about poison. She finished writing her answer before she managed to work herself into an even bigger panic. In fact, she managed to finish the entire page of questions, her mind speeding through different texts, scrolls, lessons, and plain cleverness.

But when she looked up, Sakura's stomach sank. Because despite her confidence that she had answered every question correctly, she was sure that she had failed the test. For it's real purpose was not to garner their intelligence, but to harbour their espionage skills. In short, they were _supposed_ to cheat. It was a tactic that hadn't even crossed her mind once Ibiki had threatened to fail them out of the entire nin program.

Sakura bit her lip as Naruto stood up proclaiming he didn't care if he would be a genin forever, he would stay with his team. It was a lovely sentiment, but she would strangle the orange clad idiot if the three of them were sent packing.

"You pass," Ibiki grunted to the room, his dark eyes fixed on Naruto.

A sigh of relief escaped her, before she could stop it.

"Thank Kami, I didn't know _any_ of the answers," Naruto whispered, after bounding up to her. "I didn't even write anything down."

A sour feeling in her gut made it hard for her to share his enthusiasm. She was glad that they had passed, but more than anything Sakura felt uncertain again. For all of her intelligence, her mannerisms were proving her to be more of a 'scroll' than a true shinobi.

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Sasori said, later that night when she returned home. "Finding the simplest means to solve a problem doesn't mean it's the wrong way."

Sakura's frown did not falter. "But how am I supposed to display that I will be good at information gathering? On practical missions?"

Sasori's red eyes traced her downturned lips, "People in power need all sorts of shinobi with different skills. Demonstrating that you are more intelligent than your fellow nin by answering those questions is just as important."

The young girl nodded, still not feeling satisfied with his answer. And because it was the first day that she hadn't thrown her body into training, or pushed her chakra to it's limits, she _didn't_ fall into her normal exhausted sleep. Instead, she dreamed of Kakashi's bloodstained sword, of a man's palm gripping her throat, of metal slicing its way through flesh.

Sakura walked to training ground forty-four beside her two teammates and the rest of Rookie Nine. She both hated the way Shikimaru described what he knew of 'The Forest of Death' and felt the need to shake all the information she could out of the boy. Still, her body felt weary from nightmares, and frayed nerves.

When they finally reached the edge of the clearing, Sakura noticed that the Sand sibling team was already there. The boy who had taunted Naruto on the street had his face painted, while the girl held a large fan in her lap. But they were not the most discerning ones; Sakura hadn't paid much attention to the red haired boy the previous day- there were too many other nin and she had been too nervous. But now that she had, her trepidation mounted. There was something off- putting about him.

The wind shifted, and Sakura scowled as some of her pale pink hair danced across her vision. She reached her hand up to smooth down the wispy locks, and when she looked up again, the boy's jade eyes were locked on her. Adrenalin pumped through her system as she watched the redhead inhale deeply, eyes intent on her.

"Alright _brats_ , welcome to The Forest of Death," a familiar voice said, startling Sakura out of her terrifying staring contest.

She looked over to see the woman from the previous day, Mitarashi Anko, standing at a gate. Sakura was tempted to look at the redhead again, but she dutifully paid attention to the proctor's speech. They had to collect scrolls, there was to be no direct killing…

And then the gates opened.

Gates that opened them to a whole other reality of being a shinobi. That would lead them to a path of fear, power, pain, loss, and triumph. The poetic side of her looked at it like the gates barring their innocence were being opened.

… And yet she had _killed_ a man. She wasn't innocent. She felt the stare of the redheaded Sand boy on her back- she doubted he was innocent either.

But still, it was with great trepidation that she tentatively stepped into the Forest. It had to be cloaked with layers of genjutsu, she immediately decided. For the entire sky had darkened, and not just from the shade of trees. The air itself seemed humid, and sticky with residual power. It was the taste of lightening before a thunderstorm.

"Ready, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, blue eyes shining in the dark.

Her eyes flickered over to Sasuke, watching as he scanned through the forest, sharingan red orbs probing the dark.

"Ready," she declared, hating at the shakiness of her voice.

 _Not ready. Not prepared. Not Enough._

She could feel sweat drip down her spine as they marched through the forest, silent as possible when Naruto was around. She had drunk through half of her water supply already. It was a nervous habit that she was already regretting. But she couldn't help it.

 _The forest felt wrong._

She could feel eyes on her. Probing at her, searing into her, _watching her._ She had no idea where they came from, but it made her muscles tighten with anticipation.

"Someone's following us," Sasuke whispered.

Sakura did her best not to freeze and keep her pace steady beside Naruto.

"What! Where?" Naruto demanded.

A hiss escaped her lips, as she scowled at the oblivious blonde.

"Well, well, good job catching onto me, little Sasuke," a soft voice from behind them rang out.

Sakura whipped around, kunai ready. A kunoichi wearing a grass headband stood, head cocked towards Sasuke. Sakura recognized the woman as one of the proctors. The woman smiled, and then the waves hit her. A cold feeling arched her spine and Sakura could feel her eyes roll back into her head. She could hear Naruto's panting breaths beside her, but could hardly concentrate.

And then it stopped.

She was alone.

Naruto, Sasuke, and the Grass woman- they were gone.

She panted heavily and felt the damp earth beneath her. Eyes darted around the forest- _where were her teammates?_

Getting to her feet, Sakura felt her muscles spasm. _How_ was it possible that the foreign nin's killing intent could do that to someone? Whatever the answer was, she didn't have time to ponder it- she _needed_ to find Sasuke and Naruto.

Reigning in her terror, Sakura grabbed a cold steel blade of a kunai. _She was alone._ She was surrounded by nins- all of whom were willing to take her out. She needed to look after herself.

After thirty minutes of slinking through the trees, sounds of destruction caused Sakura's head to snap to the right. 'It could be anyone' she mused to herself, but silently crept forward anyway. It wasn't until she heard Naruto's familiar yell, did Sakura press on at full speed.

She paused at the edge of the tree line, all too aware that the Grass nin clearly outclassed anything resembling a genin. Green eyes scanned the perimeter- the woman was nowhere in sight. But her teammates- her breath caught in her throat.

Throwing caution to the wind, Sakura ran over to Sasuke and Naruto. Her eyes were drawn to Sasuke first. He was breathing, but an odd mark that looked grotesquely like a bite burned at junction between his shoulder and neck. She checked on Naruto next- brows furrowing as there didn't seem to be anything wrong with him. He was just knocked out.

She sat back on her haunches for a moment, trying to decide what to do. Frantic thoughts raced through her mind, and she knew that time was of the essence. The longer they stayed out in the open, the more they were inviting attackers to them. Chewing her lip, Sakura resisted the urge to cry. She couldn't afford a weak moment; her teammate's well- being relied on her.

She lifted Sasuke up first, grunting as the full weight of the taller boy rested on her shoulder. Dragging herself and the unconscious Uchiha over, she used the tree behind Naruto as leverage to pick him up too. Her knees nearly buckled with the excess weight of the pair.

Training over the past two weeks may have helped her slightly, but Sakura was sure that it was ninety percent desperation that pushed her to drag the two boys through the forest. Red rimmed green eyes scanned the thicket, waiting for enemy shinobi to jump out.

When her mouth felt dry and her shoulders started to shake with extra weight, Sakura decided on a hiding spot. Tucked into the shade of a gnarled tree trunk lay enough space that she could covertly move the boys into. Heaving them over caused bile to burn at the back of her throat. She was exhausted and parched, but she still didn't have the time to think about herself.

After fitting Naruto and Sasuke into the hollowed roots, her eyes turned towards her surroundings. She needed more protection. And while Kakashi- sensei hadn't taught her very many genjutsus, the academy had. Forming the correct hand signals, Sakura quickly cast a simple cloaking jutsu over the area. Her eyes watched as the illusion faintly shimmered into place. She set a similar one around Sasuke and Naruto in the tree.

Only after the jutsu was in place did the young girl slump back against the tree. She felt exhausted- tired to her bones, and yet she hadn't really faced anyone yet. Grabbing her canteen, a part of her mourned as she emptied the last of it into her mouth. Her heartbeat finally calmed from the stampeding pace it had been at all day.

She reached in her pack and grabbed some wipes and a bandage before approaching Sasuke. Dabbing at his odd mark, she sighed. Often she had pictured moments like this. Leaning in close as she tended to Sasuke's wounds. Usually she only imagined him having a faint scratch and in her fantasies, the boy normally wore a grateful smile and gently thanked her for her attentive care. Real Sasuke and fantasy Sasuke were two totally different people and Sakura was having a hard time superimposing her childish wishes on the boy. Especially in dire circumstances like this.

She tipped water into Naruto's mouth and massaged his throat, making him swallow before returning to her post.

As the dark settled in deeper, the shadows grew longer. Sakura could feel the sticky humidity fall and coldness seeped into her skin. She was tempted to make a fire, but knew that would be the same as loudly announcing her presence to every enemy in the forest. She huddled in on herself, eyes scanning her teammate's prone forms, _praying_ thatone, or both of them would regain consciousness soon.

A branch snapped and Sakura's head whipped over. There was a boy standing a few feet away, his face mostly covered in bandages. She watched as he scanned the area around her makeshift hideout.

Inhaling, Sakura gripped her kunai, while her other hand dove into her weapons pouch.

Like a hound, the boy's head cocked, and Sakura felt her heartbeat stammer- there was _no way_ he could have heard her.

Another boy instantly appeared at his side, "You see it?"

The bandaged boy nodded, "How could I not notice such a pathetic attempt at genjutsu."

Blood pumping, Sakura darted up the tree, just as the two boys dispelled her first illusion. When the bandaged one-stepped towards the tree, Sakura let her kunai fly. The weapon had nearly met its mark, when the boy quickly raised his own and deflected it.

Her stomached dropped as the two boy's eyes instantly flicked to her. But she didn't have time to retaliate as a harsh grip pulled her hair from behind. Sakura instantly bowed her back and kicked her legs out trying to get the enemy to ease their grip. In the flash of a second, she could feel her equilibrium shift, as she fell from the tree.

Disoriented, Sakura grabbed for her weapon's pouch, but was stopped when a foot stamped down on her fingers. Pain radiated up her arm, and she once again felt a hand thread it's way through her pink locks and yank her head up. Green eyes peered up at the brown eyes of the tall girl holding her.

"What should we do with the pretty little girl, Dotsu?" the girl crooned, pulling her hair tighter.

The bandaged boy grunted, "The little bitch isn't what we are here for."

The black haired boy beside him scanned Sakura's form with a smirk on his face, "But I bet she knows where her teammates are."

Trepidation made her eyes dilate as the black haired boy stalked up and gripped her chin, hauling her to her feet, "Where is Uchiha Sasuke?"

Sakura quickly spat in the boy's face.

She heard the blow before she felt it. A high pitched smack that caused her whole body to move with the momentum. Her teeth rattled in her jaw as his fist connected with her cheekbone. Hair ripped out of her roots as the hand that gripped her head, struggled to keep ahold.

The kunoichi behind her laughed.

Sakura remained stubbornly silent.

"Alright," the boy nodded, his smirk gone. "Let's try a different method." The hand that had just battered her face grabbed at her breasts, while the other went between her legs. "Wonder what Leaf pussy feels like…"

She snarled, and quickly knocked her head backwards into the girl gripping her. The fist in her hair let go, and Sakura kicked her leg out at the black haired boy's side.

"Enough playing around," the boy named Dotsu said from the sidelines.

Sakura barely had enough time to dodge the girl's senbon needle, before an awful ringing sound hit her. She fell to her knees and gripped her ears, feeling as if they were going to explode. Back bending, and eyes going blurry- she writhed on the ground as the high pitch sound bit at her.

And just as her consciousness flickered like a candle flame, a memory slammed into her.

" _I could lend you some of my power," Sasori finally said, voice smooth._

 _Her face froze with trepidation, "What?"_

" _I could lend you a little bit of my power- just a touch. It would hep strengthen your body, ward off injuries. I don't like seeing you injured pet. I don't like hearing about you having to face off against people that might win. Take some of my power. Take it," his voice was compellingly soft, just like those crimson eyes._

" _You can trust me_."

 _She took her kunai and slit a line down her palm. Dipping her finger into the cut now oozing with blood, she drew an H onto the glass. By the time Sakura had finished writing her family name, she had to pick at the congealing blood to get more to flood out. Letting more blood pool into her hand, she continued the characters for her first name. Just as she drew the final character for S she noticed not the letter, but the demon behind them. He looked feral. Fear froze her as the final drop of blood dripped onto the mirror. Sasori sent her a savage smile, his pointed teeth on display and began laughing madly._

 _A burning sensation like she had never felt before spread through her_ _body. She threw back her head and screamed._

By the time she had resurfaced from her memory, most of Rookie Nine had shown up and Sasuke had managed to step in front of her, hands raised.

"Sakura, _who did this to you?_ " he growled.

A million emotions were at war within her, but unease managed to triumph over them all, as she looked at the black markings running up Sasuke's arm and face.

The bandaged boy stepped forward, " _I did_."

Sakura felt as if she had blacked out and woke up in an alternate reality. Because there was no way that her teammate would be this _ruthless_. She watched with terrified eyes as he not only took down the nin, but her pulled his arm out of it's joint with a disgusting wrenching sound.

"Sasuke," Sakura shouted.

Sasuke raised his fist.

" _Sasuke, stop it!"_ she screamed.

Sharingan eyes met her own green, before they bled back into black. He stepped away from Dotsu, eyes tense on her form.

Sakura swallowed as Dotsu dropped his scroll before retreating. She, along with her old classmates watched Sasuke pick up the scroll and tuck it into his weapon's pouch before he turned to her.

"Are you okay Sakura?"

It was a line she used to dream about. Now staring at the boy, it felt like a nightmare. _She was not okay._ She nodded her head anyways.

"Let's get Naruto and go."

She looked over to see most of the Rookie Nine eyeing Sasuke with unease. For the first time in two years she nodded at Ino, grateful for the girl's presence and watched as Ino nodded back.

With Naruto slung between them, they took off into the woods again. A heavy silence hung in the air and Sakura was too distracted to break it.

 _What had Sasori done to her?_ _She had listened to a demon. She trusted a demon and he manipulated her, just as her father warned. He had her blood. By why hadn't he done anything yet? Why was he still in the mirror?_

"What did they do to you?"

The quiet question seemed startlingly loud and Sakura looked over Naruto's head to see Sasuke looking at her.

She bit her lip, still feeling harsh fingers between her legs, ' _wonder what Leaf pussy feels like.'_

"It was some sort of sound attack. It messed with my eardrums. I felt like my head would explode," she answered. Her ears still felt like they were ringing.

Sasuke nodded and they kept walking. After another thirty minutes, Naruto thankfully woke up and the three raced to the proctor tower.

"Just in time," Anko said flashing a smile, her hand outstretched.

Sasuke placed the two scrolls in it and they passed into the tower. Sakura was surprised to see Kakashi-sensei waiting for them.

"I heard you ran into some trouble," his eye flickered to the mark on Sasuke's neck.

"Yeah, a weird snake lady, or man, named Orochirmaru," Naruto said, shuddering.

She sat in a room that was alarmingly similar to an interrogation room as Kakashi and Asuma-sensei grilled them about this 'Orochirmaru.' Since she had been missing for most of the interaction, Sakura didn't have much to say. But Kakashi's hand on her shoulder stopped her from leaving as they were released.

"I'm proud of you," he quietly said, "for looking after your teammates."

Normally these sorts of words from her stoic sensei would leave warmth blossoming in her chest for days to come. But right now she felt as though a hurricane had just wrecked havoc on her entire system. She offered him a absent smile as she ducked out the door.

The last stage of the chunin exams wouldn't be determined until tomorrow. Right now, she needed _answers_. So she dodged Naruto's attempt to invite her for celebratory ramen. She kept her eyes clear of Sasuke and marched home.

Reaching her house, Sakura rushed up the stairs, stopping at her father's study to listen. There was no scratching of a quill or scuffle of pages. He wasn't home. _Good._

Her pace slowed as she reached her bedroom, and a lightning crackled up her spine as her eyes landed on the silver mirror. Inhaling shakily, she flipped the mirror over.

Sasori's eyes widened as he looked at her, "Pet, are you okay? You look-"

"-What did you do to me?" Sakura demanded. She watched as something flickered in Sasori's eyes before they went blank.

"Whatever do you mean?"

" _You did something_ ," Sakura hissed. "I wrote my name in blood on the mirror and then I felt like I was on fire. You did something!"

Sasori's face became cold, and for the first time since she was ten, Sakura felt real fear for the demon in the mirror.

"I bound you to me," Sasori said, voice dark and terrible.

"What does that mean?"she cried.

"Your blood now links you to me. You will never be rid of me," Sasori said, eyes getting brighter with each word.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. " _Why_?" she said, desperation colouring her tone.

"I have my reasons," the demon answered, eyes hypnotic.

"Well your reasons can rot in hell. I'm _never_ speaking to you again," Sakura hissed.

Her rage only grew as Sasori's sinister laugh rang out. "You can't get rid of me so easily, that's the nature of our bond. We are now set up for a contract."

Sakura exhaled shakily, "Contract?"

His eyes glinted maliciously, "You are bound to me until our contract is fulfilled."

"What kind of contract?"

A beautiful smile appeared on his face. It did nothing to lessen the already present fear in her heart. "You are going to ask me a favour. I will grant it. _Anything you want_ ," the demon purred. "And in return, I will ask you a favour. And you will grant _me_ it."

She knew what he was talking about. She had read about contracts like this in her father's old tomes. Contracts that bound humans and demons through wishes instead of payments. Demons didn't particularly value money after all. But never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would be in one.

"Well, you're out of luck," she whispered, "because I'm never going to ask anything of you."

Sasori smirked, "Don't be so sure."

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and my take on Part 1/2 of the Chunin Exams!**

 **Once again I changed a few things. A few reviewers had guessed that maybe Sasori would be Sakura's inner. I purposely left Sakura's inner out of the story. I fell like because she had Sasori to vent out her frustrations to from a young age, she would have never developed it.**

 **Also, I felt out the hair- cutting scene. I feel like it was pivitol in cannon because it was Sakura's turning point to take being a kunoichi seriously. But in my story, she has already gone through that, so its unncessesary.**

 **I hope you aren't too disappointed with her lack of cool powers in connection to Sasori. I want Sakura's accomplishment to be of her own doing.**

 **Please review and let me know your thoughts!**


	6. Calamity

**Chapter 6: Calamity**

 _"Not until we are lost_

 _do we begin to_

 _understand ourselves."_

 _\- Henry David Thoreau_

She had almost shattered the mirror that night. With every word that rolled off of Sasori's poisonous tongue the urge to hurl the hand mirror against the pale pink walls of her bedroom grew bolder. The only thing that had stayed her enraged fingers was the creeping suggestion that if it had broken, something worse would happen. After all, if the demon's glass prison was shattered, than logic dictated there was nowhere else for him to go but _out._

Still, her fury at his awful trick had not been abated.

"I'm going to find a way out of this," she snarled; rage mounting as Sasori's smirk had only grown more taunting.

Hunting through her room, Sakura had grabbed the pink scarf from her Wave mission and wrapped it around the mirror. She may not have been able to shatter the mirror, but that didn't mean she had to look at the beast within it. Shoving the silk clad parcel into the bottom drawer of her dresser, Sakura decided that it would be the last time she would ever trade words with the foul creature.

Self- loathing gnawed at her conscious as she stomped down to her father's study. _How had she not known better?_ She had spent thirteen years in a house surrounded by information on demons… She had more in her arsenal than common knowledge about the inhuman creatures. Had she really been so arrogant to think that she could handle one? Had she really allowed herself to forget what Sasori's true nature was?

Her anger simmered as she stood in the doorway of her father's favourite room. There had to be _something_ in tucked away in this room that would help solve her current predicament. Tired green eyes ran along the overstuffed bookshelves, the desk swamped in scrolls, the various tomes haphazardly stacked on in precarious pile on the floor. Letting out a soft sigh, the petite girl approached the first bookshelf resolve at hand.

She may be bound to the demon for now, but there was no way it would be permanent. She would make sure of it.

...

Sakura groaned, as the chirping sound grew livelier. Her eyes blinked open and she found herself starting at a small brown bird singing on the windowsill. Her brows furrowed and she lifted her head in confusion. Looking around, awareness hit her. She had fallen asleep over a pile of scrolls in her father's study.

The young girl stretched, feeling satisfied as her back cracked. Bleary eyes searched for the clock, not wanting a repeat of Kakashi-sensei showing up at her house. It was seven- she still had some time before she had to return to the chunin examination building. Shaking the fog out of her mind, Sakura couldn't fathom how it was only yesterday that she was traipsing through the Forest of Death. In light of her demonic revelations, the events in of her exam seemed so long ago.

Trudging up the stairs, Sakura pushed open her bedroom door, wishing that she could simply collapse on her bed and sleep the day away. But as soon as she stepped into her bedroom, Sakura froze. The silver hand-mirror was sitting on her dresser facedown, no pink scarf in sight.

Her stomach clenched horribly at the sight of the offensive object. _How was it possible?_ Temptation to march over to the dresser and flip over the mirror, demanding how Sasori managed to dig himself out of the bottom drawer whirled inside of her. She squashed it down. There would be no more talking to the demon.

She was banishing him from her sight, her thoughts, and hopefully whatever false connection he had forged between them. She would find away to banish that too.

She quickly got dressed and ate breakfast at the lonely kitchen counter. Exiting the house, Sakura raced towards the exam building. Today she would find out what the final task would be for the chunin exams. And as tradition would dictate, it would probably be a spar. Reaching the building, she saw Naruto's bobbing blonde head, with Sasuke's darker immobile one beside it.

"Morning, Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouted.

Sakura could feel the blush rise on her face as several heads turned too look at her.

"Good morning," she greeted, standing beside Sasuke.

"Are you feeling better?" Sasuke asked, his eyes carefully not meeting her own.

Warmth bloomed within her. Sasuke… was _concerned_ about her? She didn't fight the small smile that appeared on her face.

"Yes," she stated, only partially surprised at the truth of it.

Yesterday she had been bruised, battered, and nearly had her eardrums explode, but she felt _… fine._ Her smile dropped. Ever since she had stupidly signed her name on the mirror, her injuries seemed to heal at an alarmingly fast pace. She remembered how Sasori faked his shock when she had first voiced her intrigue at her newfound regenerative abilities. He _had_ to be the cause. Normal humans needed more than a few hours of sleep to cure bone deep tissue bruising or lacerations. Normal humans wouldn't be able to get out of bed after the vigour that she had been adding to her training regimen. And while it was an undoubtedly beneficial power, it was one that she was sure came with a cost that she didn't want to contemplate paying.

"Well, Team Seven, are you ready to find out about the last part of your exam?" a familiar voice asked from behind them.

Sakura shook her thoughts away as she focused on Kakashi's masked face.

"Do you have any clue what it's going to be Kaka-sensei?" Naruto all but demanded.

Kakashi's mask twitched as he nodded their attention to the doors. The exam proctor with the scarred face, Ibiki, stood at the top of the stairs, his menacing face drawn.

"Silence," was all the towering man needed to say for the gathered crowd of hopeful genins and their sensei's to quiet to a hush. "The final stage of the Chunin Exams will take place tomorrow. You will be in a one-on-one sparring match with another opponent. Any questions?"

"If we lose the match are we disqualified?" a voice that sounded like Shikimaru's came from the crowd.

Ibiki's mouth twitched in a hint of a smirk, "You will be performing your spars in front of the esteemed Kages and Daimyos. Whether you progress to chunin rank will be decided upon your performance- regardless of whether you win or lose. You could all become chunin- or _none_ of you could. But since there are a few more of you that passed stage two than we expected, these matches will be considered preliminary. At least, until we whittle you down a bit more…"

Sakura swallowed thickly. She had _one_ day to excel. One day to prepare herself. One day before she could show her team that she was a _real_ kunoichi.

"Your jounin senseis have a list of who your spars will be against," Ibiki said, before slipping into the exam building. The doors closed with a resolute bang.

" _Sensei_ , " Naruto said in a scandalized voice. "You knew this whole time and you didn't tell us!"

"I only found out about the matches this morning," Kakashi drawled.

"Well," Sasuke demanded. "Who is it? Who am I fighting?"

Kakashi sighed, "So impatient," and took a little white square of paper out of his flack jacket. "Sasuke, you are fighting Akado Yoroi from Konoha; Naruto, you are fighting Inzuka Kiba, and Sakura, you are fighting Yamanka Ino."

Sakura's mouth pinched downwards in a frown. Last month she probably would have crowed happily at hearing that she was facing down Ino. Her girlish mind would view this as vengeance and not even bothered _truly_ preparing for a fight. But she knew better now. Ino was from a shinobi clan. She had been doing some form of training since she could walk. Sakura could not underestimate the girl.

"Looks like I have this one in the bag, Forehead," a voice taunted from behind her.

Sakura turned to see Ino's statuesque form smirking at her. He smile fell a bit as Sakura did not respond with a derisive sneer or let the nickname 'Pig' fall from her lips.

"Sakura-chan is going to finish you," Naruto adamantly defended.

But Ino's confused eyes didn't stray from Sakura's blank face.

"To the training ground you three," Kakashi said, clearly not amused with their childish goading.

Kakashi-sensei had them running laps, practicing taijutsu, and katas. Every so often he would pull Sasuke aside and give him tips about exactly what ninjutsu to use tomorrow. Occasionally he would yell at Naruto about how an Inzuka would be able to sniff him out through his shadow clones. Sakura kept waiting for Kakashi to impart a rare tidbit of information about the Yamankas on her. They were a fairly well known clan from Konoha after all. But no hints of improvement or offensive attacks were shared.

"Do you have any advise for me?" Sakura panted, as she reached for her canteen.

Kakashi's eye never left Sasuke's form. "Hm? Oh, um… just keep up the good work Sakura-chan," he said, offering her a vague smile.

Sakura carefully set her canteen down instead of hurling it across the training ground in frustration as she longed to do. Did he… did he think she was incapable? Was he so confident that she would _lose_ that he wasn't even going to bother aiding her?

She clenched her fists and willed the tears not to spring to her eyes. Turning away quickly, Sakura inhaled deeply.

Fine.

It was fine.

 _It was not fine._

She could this. What better resource did she have than herself? She used to be Ino's best friend. She _knew_ the girl. Slumping against a tree she thought of her former friend as she would an enemy. Ino was strong- the best female taijutsu fighter in their class. But Ino, just like Naruto was impulsive. Bold. She was obvious in her defence, and even more obvious in her attacks. Ino was just starting to learn her clan's mind-transfer jutsu when their friendship dissolved. Sakura's brow furrowed- would the girl have mastered it by now? She needed… _information_.

Grabbing her weapon's pouch and canteen, Sakura headed for the training ground's exit.

"Where are you going Sakura-chan? You can't abandon your training," a lazy voice called.

She turned to see Kakashi's eyes finally fixed on her.

"I'm going to use a different method of training, seeing as this one isn't really benefitting _me_ ," she put enough bite into her words that she was sure Kakashi picked up on her anger.

Clearly her barb was aimed well as the man flinched, "Where are you headed?"

She eyed the silvered haired man impatiently, "The library."

He nodded slowly, "Most clan records are kept in secret. But I would look at some enemy bingo books if you're curious…"

"Thank you," Sakura replied, knowing the words fell stiff off her tongue.

Kakashi nodded and she was out the gate, ignoring Naruto's loud question of where she was going.

Running through the village, Sakura quickly slipped into the building that was so familiar to her that it might as well have been a second home. The library with its dusty smells and creaky floorboards was practically empty. Weaving through the familiar stacks, she went straight to the foreign bingo books.

After selecting a recent one, Sakura found an empty alcove and settled into a chair. She flipped through the book until she landed on the page she truly needed- Ino's father.

 _ **Yamanaka Inoichi**_

 _Affiliation- Konohagakure_

 _Rank- Jounin_

 _Abilities- Water Release, Intel Gathering_

 _Clan Techniques: Mind Body Disturbance Jutsu- only known facts are that the user can invade the mind of enemy shinobi, causing the victim to lose control of their bodies. Potential for friendly fire attacks. Suspicion of telepathic abilities._

 _Defense: While beginning clan technique, user is vulnerable to attack._

Sakura slowly closed the book, a whole different kind of dread welling within her. If Ino had learned her family's clan technique she would be able to read her thoughts.

 _That could not happen._

If Ino read her thoughts than she would learn about Sasori. A chill wracked through her- _no one could know about Sasori_. She didn't want to think about the kind of trouble she and her father could get in for harbouring a demon.

Sakura had no idea _how_ Sasori had come to be in the mirror. She had asked him once, but his eyes turned furious enough to keep her lips sealed. But she had long suspected that her father might have stumbled upon something grander than himself. That maybe he brought the mirror home as a trinket to analyze, before forgetting it in favour of some other demonic bobble. Either way, she didn't feel like hanging from a noose, letting the crows pick at her eyes if the village realized they were keeping said demon.

She jogged home trying to think of a game plan. Ino was physically stronger than her- taijutsu would be a difficult match. But Sakura knew that she was faster. Ino may have had the long legs, but Sakura was lithe- if she could get Ino to chase her than perhaps she could wear her down?

The problem came with her lack of knowledge about the clan technique. There was no doubt in her mind that Ino would want to show it off. It would demonstrate her strength- show off how good of an asset she was to Konoha. But Sakura had an even bigger motivation to not let her use it. Still, her ignorance was a curse… Did Ino need to make eye contact for the jutsu? Did she need to be standing still? All Sakura could do was hypothesize that Ino would probably need some sort of concentration… So she would need to create a distraction.

Standing in her backyard, the rose haired girl thought of her options. If she were Sasuke, she would probably use a fancy fireball jutsu and wires. If she were Naruto, his clones… She huffed- she was not her teammates; their strengths were not her strengths.

She thought of the plain, unemotional report that her father had been given by the academy. Her strengths- intelligence, genjutsu… _chakra control_ her mind added.

An idea came to her. She planned it out thoroughly in her mind, trying to create backup plans in case Ino reacted in A, B, or C situations. And once her plan was in motion, she trained. She trained past the time the sun dipped beyond the horizon. She trained when the chirping of birds was replaced by the soft hooting of an owl. She trained until her limits hit, and even then some.

The next morning when Sakura woke up her eyes darted to her dresser. The mirror remained ever present. She vowed not to think of it. Especially not on _this_ day.

Nerves built as she walked to the exam stadium. It was daunting enough knowing that she was sparring for her future, let alone having to do it with a hundred eyes watching. _Eyes that could discover her secret_. She growled at her pessimistic mind to shut up and focus.

Reaching the stands, Sakura found her way over to Team Seven. Her heart clenched as Sasuke's name was called.

"Good luck," she softly encouraged.

Sasuke nodded and scoffed at Naruto's insulting encouragement.

They needn't have wished him luck. Once his eyes bleed from black to red Yorio stood no chance. Just as Sakura predicted- he won.

Two more matches passed by and Sakura's heartbeat felt like it tripled until finally her name was called.

 _"Haruno Sakura versus Yamanaka Ino"_

Letting out a deep breath, Sakura felt a numb sort of calm wash over her. The gentle pat of her sensei's hand on her shoulder, Sasuke's nod, Naruto's shouted encouragements- they all became white noise. She let all of it fade away. She had to _focus_.

Stepping into the arena, Sakura already took note of Ino's confident smirk. She didn't return it. There was time for posturing later. She was here to win.

The moment the words ' _begin'_ rang from the proctor's mouth, Sakura ran to the other side of the arena.

"Really Forehead _, running?"_ Ino laughed.

Sakura only paid it enough mind to know that Ino was in pursuit. Quickly, she turned, dodging Ino's air born shuriken and threw an exploding tag. The smoke of her the burning paper hazed the area just as Ino dove forward, kunai poised.

But she was already on the move. Summoning her chakra to her feet, Sakura quickly darted up the side of the arena walls. Huffing, she felt sweat drip down her back. She couldn't keep running in circles or her chakra would dip dangerously low. And she needed it for phase two.

Sliding down the wall, she bowed her back as the whistle of more flying shuriken bit into the wood where her shoulder just occupied. Whirling around, her brows pinched; Ino was closer than she had hoped. Her hand dove back into her pouch and she grabbed another exploding tag.

Smoke once again billowed in the area, and Sakura could hear Ino curse as the girl ducked her head away from it. But this time, Sakura didn't move. She let the smoke curl at her lips and water her eyes. And just as Sakura predicted, Ino was impatient and dove into the smoke with a roundhouse kick. Dodging left, Sakura quickly made the hands signs and let a different sort of haze cover the area.

It was a rudimentary genjutsu- nothing sophisticated. But it would buy her time to knock Ino out. Stepping out from the smoke, Sakura inhaled the clean air before her hand's dove into her weapon's pouch for wire. Her illusion was simple- it would make it look as though she was standing in the same spot within the smoke.

Just as her hands gripped the thin metal coils, she heard Ino's quick shout of 'kai.' But before Sakura had time to throw the wires, her green eyes locked with Ino's blue.

And then she felt it. An icy cold feeling of something _other_ slithering into her mind. It was strange to feel Ino's presence.

" _Say you forfeit,"_ Ino's bold voice declared.

Sakura's body shook as her tongue wrestled with the command. Her stomach clenched as she felt the presence take a turn in her mind. The inner Ino was reaching for her memories; for the bright red box that had every encounter that she had with Sasori in it.

 _No!_

Wild, hot desperation gripped her in a powerful surge and Sakura lashed out with her fists. She could feel her knuckles hit flesh.

And then everything went black.

...

She woke up to sterile white walls and an antiseptic smell drying her nostrils.

She woke up alone.

"Ah, you're awake," a pleasant feminine voice said.

Sakura turned her head to see a plump nurse with a cheery smile on her face.

"Blasted exams forcing kids to fight," the nurse prattled on as she picked up Sakura's chart, "…causing injuries to immature bodies. Are you feeling okay dear? No nausea, dizziness?"

Sakura let out a shaky breath, "No, I feel fine."

"I've never seen someone heal quite as quickly as you. You'll be a tough little kunoichi," she said, pinching at her toes.

Sakura's heart sank with every well- intended word that fell out of the nurse's mouth. If she was here in the hospital than she lost her fight. She had wanted to show everyone that she _was_ a tough kunoichi already… Now, she was positive that she would be left behind.

"Alright, I will get your doctor to sign off and then you're free to go off gallivanting again with your teammates," the nurse said, before turning on her heel and disappearing off down the hall.

She watched dispassionately as the doctor came in and signed her chart, cautioning her to take it easy. She had apparently taken quite the blow to the head and had been knocked out for over a day.

Shrugging off the crinkly white hospital gown, Sakura donned her dirty clothes. Just as she grabbed her nin headband, the door opened again. Turning her head, Sakura was not met with the sight of a doctor or nurse, but a familiar blonde head.

"Come to gloat?" she asked, not quite able to mask her annoyance.

"Gloat?" Ino inquired, cocking her head.

"About how you beat me…" Sakura slowly answered, staring at tall girl as if she had grown a second head.

Ino frowned, "Didn't Sasuke-kun or Naruto tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Sakura asked, impatiently stepping around the blonde and out the door.

"I didn't beat you," Ino answered, following the smaller girl down the hall.

Sakura stopped and turned to face her former friend, "You knocked me out…"

"Yeah, well, you did the same," Ino bluntly stated. She watched as the girl lifted her long blonde hair off the side of her neck to reveal an ugly purple bruise on the curve of her jawline. A bruise that was the exact size and shape of Sakura's fist.

Sakura's brow furrowed, "If we knocked each other out, than who won?"

Ino's smile was rueful, "Neither of us- it was called a draw. Didn't think you had it in you Forehead."

Sakura paused and let her eyes trace Ino's lovely face. She had dark circles under her eyes, but the blue depths looked hopeful. The curve of her lips was taunting, but not in a malicious way. She looked like… a friend.

Sakura's heart clenched painfully. How had she thrown her friendship away because of the hissed suggestions from a demon and a crush on a boy?

"You too Pig," she said softly. "You didn't, um, see anything in here…" Sakura said, tapping on the side of her head.

Ino's small smirk grew wider, "Just bits of fluff…"

Sakura laughed, but heaved a large internal sigh of relief. She was safe.

The two girls walked outside, and despite the fact that Sakura knew she wouldn't make chunin after her performance, her heart felt lighter.

"So how did the rest of the matches go? Have you heard anything?" she asked Ino.

"Shikimaru passed, Choji failed. Naruto passed, Hinata failed…"

Sakura hummed as once again her emotions warred within her. Sasuke and Naruto both passed…

"-maru said that they are going to do the final matches in one month," Ino continued.

Both girls stopped when they reached Sakura's door. A small pug that Sakura recognized as one of Kakashi's ninken was waiting for her.

"Yo," the little dog said.

Both Ino and Sakura stared.

"Boss wants you to know that he has taken the Uchiha kid out of the village to train for his match. Naruto's also has a sensei that has taken him out of the village for training."

"He couldn't have told her that himself," Ino quietly scoffed.

"Who will I be training with?" Sakura asked.

The dog stared at her, apparently confused with her question. "Um- you don't have to train right now… You can just rest for the month."

 _Inhale._

 _Exhale._

 _Don't Scream._

The dog disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"You can always join Choji and I for training," Ino lightly offered.

Sakura faced the tall girl, false smile painted on her lips. "Yeah, sure. Well, I better get some rest. You really did a number on me…"

Ino smirked, but it lacked its usual haughtiness. Sakura didn't want to look too closely at the blonde in case she saw pity in the girl's eyes. "See you later Forehead."

Closing the door, Sakura slowly made her way up the stairs. She quietly sat down on her bed and only when she felt comfortably alone did she let the tears fall.

 _They left._

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!** **It was getting to be a beast, so I had to split it into two.**

 **Based on some feedback, I feel like I have to clarify a few things. Sakura doesn't really have any extra powers because of Sasori other than healing a bit faster. At least none that I have shown your right now. I really want her merits to be her own. Also I feel like she has a lot of self-esteem issues from being on her team. I love Kakashi, but I don't think he was a great sensei to her. Half of the time when Naruto and Sasuke are running off into battle Sakura is just** _ **not there**_ **. And her perspective of being left out is not touched on that much in canon. I get that she was weak, but I also feel like at 12 (I made her 13), being on a team with Naruto and Sasuke would do a number on a girl.**

 **Anyways, enough rambling. If you asked a question and I haven't addressed it, it's because I don't want to spoil anything. The romance side of the story is going to pick up more in the next few chapters.**

 **Please Review and let me know your thoughts!**


	7. The Aftertaste

**Chapter 7: The Aftertaste**

" _The final forming_

 _of a person's character_

 _lies in their own hands."_

 _\- Anne Frank_

The day after her preliminary exam stalemate, Sakura allowed herself to wallow at home in her bedroom. She cocooned herself in her blankets and read a dozen scrolls on demons that she had filched from her father's study. Hours passed and the young girl only left her room to snatch food form the kitchen, trade reading materials or visit the bathroom. But as the light of the day faded into night, Sakura indulged in self- pity. Here she was lazing in her bedroom while her teammates were training to become strong shinobi.

Secluded in her pale pink bedroom, she acknowledged that on this day, she was more fit for the damsel in distress role than protector. Her bitter smile turned wry- she even had a horrendous monster threatening her. Her eyes darted over to the mirror laying face down on her dresser; she hadn't been successful on that front either. Of all the scrolls and books that she had scanned through, not even a single sentence had alluded to humans being bound to demons. It was with a frustrated mind that she had fallen asleep that night.

The next day Sakura forced herself out of bed. She figured that one day of moping around the house could be excused, but any more than that and she might as well hand in her nin headband. She would not stoop to be that pathetic.

Grabbing her weapons pouch, she was out the door and off to Team Seven's regular training grounds. When she reached the familiar soil, Sakura decided that although her meagre strength had improved over the last month, she still had abysmal aim. Ino's shuriken had hit a little _too_ close to home. She had doubted that her own skills would match.

Pulling her kunai out of her pouch, Sakura lined her body up, just as Iruka-sensei had once taught her. Drawing her shoulder back, she let the weapon sail through the air. It buried itself into the dummy's wooden shoulder. Not exactly the chest she had been aiming for… Brows furrowed, she drew more weapons out of her pouch and continued, allowing the tips she had gained about angles and force to filter through her head. And in over two hours, it had helped hone her aim. The problem was her timing. She highly doubted an enemy nin would be so willing to stay still while she aligned her body into the correct position for a perfect hit. Grabbing her canteen, she greedily gulped down water and decided that it would be something to focus on for the next month.

Setting her water down, Sakura decided to go through some basic taijutsu katas next. She glided her body through the now familiar routines, feeling sweat gather on her forehead. The sun was now high in the sky and beaming down its unforgiving rays.

"What are you doing here brat?" an unnervingly familiar voice inquired.

Sakura whipped around, and was shocked to find one of the proctors from the chunin exams staring at her, brow raised.

"Uh- training?" was her undignified response.

Mitarashi Anko cocked her leather- clad hips and eyed Sakura up and down like a strange, but all- together uninteresting gnat, "I booked this training ground."

"Oh," Sakura replied, too shocked to add anything else. She hadn't really realized it before, but Kakashi-sensei must have been booking the training ground and now that he was gone…

"I guess you will work for target practice though…" Anko said, tilting her head as she scanned Sakura's form.

Sakura had barely opened her mouth to inquire as to what exactly the woman meant when a shuriken came flying at her. Eyes widening, she just managed to throw her body out of the way. But Sakura didn't have time to get to her feet as another two came flying her way. Adrenalin pumped through her system as she picked herself up and started running.

And for the next twenty minutes, Sakura felt as though her heart would beat out of its chest as she skittered away from Anko's variety of weapons. She had two cuts on each shoulder and could feel the sting of where nin wire had nipped her right in the _butt._ Anko had thrown her head back and let out a vicious laugh, but Sakura didn't have time to find the humour as she was still running from the sadistic woman.

"Alright, enough brat. Scram!" Anko said, appearing out of nowhere in front of the small girl.

Sakura ducked her head and nodded quickly, before grabbing her pack and wobbling to the exit.

"You're _slow_ brat- you need to start training with weights if you don't want to get used as a pincushion," Anko tossed the advise over her shoulder.

Sakura murmured a hasty thanks, but the dark haired woman was already making hand signs. And as curious as she was to see what kind of ninjutsu the woman was working on, the proctor seemed a little _too_ on the unhinged side to stick around.

It was a pattern that lasted all month. She would wake up and train, adding weights to her regimen. Occasionally she would run into Ino and Choji and the three would practice taijutsu together. On the rare occasion Anko would show up on the training ground and use Sakura as a practice dummy before snarling insulting, yet practical tips about how to grow stronger.

And soon enough the final chunin exam was upon them. Sakura had never felt more excited and nervous to see her teammates. She had missed the boys, even Naruto with his loud mouth ways. But her nervousness ate at her. If they became chunin what would happen to their team? And despite the fact that Sakura understood why Kakashi had taken Sasuke-kun out of the village, the bitterness she harboured over leaving her no training partner still clung to her.

So on the morning of the test Sakura awoke early and with a cautious heart. Sighing, the petite girl lay in her bed, green eyes staring unseeing at the ceiling as thoughts raced through her mind. It was selfish of her, but a small part of her wanted Sasuke-kun and Naruto to lose today. She wanted their team to stay together. But she knew better; the boys were powerhouses. They would move on.

Getting out of bed, she reached for her black pants and dark green shirt. After Anko had yelled at her for painting an even bigger target on herself by wearing red, Sakura had replaced her pretty dresses with more practical nin gear. Still her fingers ghosted over the forgotten dresses as she garbed herself in her less fashionable clothes. Sakura sat at her vanity and brushed through her long hair, hating that part of her was doing this for her team's benefit. Her team that probably would no longer be…

Green eyes drifted to the silver mirror that sat on her dresser. She hadn't flipped turned it and faced the demon in a month. It was the longest she had gone without speaking to Sasori since she was ten years old. A frown tugged her lips because despite his betrayal, she _missed_ the demon. Or at least, she missed his companionship. It felt like he was the only constant in her life.

This feeling of frustrated melancholy followed her to the arena. But once she saw Naruto's blonde head, Sakura shoved it all to the darkest depths of her mind.

"Sakura-chan! I missed you," Naruto said, unembarrassed by his candidness.

Sakura flushed not at his compliment, but at his guilelessness. She pasted a bright smile on her face and nodded her head as Naruto talked bout his perverted new sensei and all the cool tricks he learned.

"-Where is that bastard, Sasuke, anyways?" Naruto finally finished.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that he and Kakashi trained outside of the village."

"Cool- so, who did you train with Sakura-chan?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, when the first fight begun. She closed her mouth as her and Naruto turned to watch the spar.

Watching the finals, Sakura could admit that maybe she didn't deserve a spot down there _yet_. Observing their skills, speed and chakra manipulation, it was clear that these genin had been training a long time. She had only really started taking her training seriously two months ago.

"Next up is Ukumaki Naruto versus Hyuuga Negi," the proctor called.

"Wish me luck!" Naruto yelled, bounding over to stairs.

Sakura watched with a jealous sort of pride as Naruto fought the pompous pale-eyed boy. Naruto for all his loud-mouthed idiocy was a good shinobi. He liked to pull pranks and he loved ramen to a worrying degree. But the shinobi lifestyle was one that Naruto was actually working toward. And when Naruto actually managed to win his match, her smiling face was genuine. He deserved it.

Anxious green eyes scanned the crowd for Sasuke-kun. And she wasn't the only one looking for him. Murmurs from the crowd grew. Sakura scowled when she heard some civilians whispering that perhaps the last Uchiha was frightened of the Sand nin. She knew that even if Sasuke were apprehensive about his fight, his ego would not allow him to back down.

She kept looking through the crowd until her eyes landed on another pair of green ones. Unease filled her as she noticed that Gaara was watching her with unblinking intensity. She desperately wanted to drop their stare, but some latent part of her instincts were warning her not too. A predator was in her midst and it was best to keep her eyes on him. When his jade eyes snapped away, Sakura released a breath that she hadn't even noticed she had been holding.

Her gut clenched as she watched Gaara slouch down into the stadium. Seconds ticked by that felt like minutes and Sakura could feel the anticipation of the crowd grow.

"If he doesn't get here soon, they are going to disqualify him," she worried.

"Eh- they are running on Kakashi-sensei time," Naruto shrugged.

But Sakura could see the concern swimming in his blue eyes too.

With a crack that sounded like lightening, Sasuke launched himself into the arena.

 _So cool._

Her heart clenched as she gazed at the boy. She had missed Sasuke-kun. And she didn't particularly like that he was so close to the monster that she was she sure redheaded boy was.

As their match begun, Sakura realized that her initial assessment was correct. Gaara was a monster. She could feel her breath catch as the sand swirled menacingly around his body and he began talking to himself.

But before she could contemplate it any further, Sakura felt an odd sort of tiredness wash over her. Her eyelids languidly slipped down and she flopped to the ground.

" _All of this," a familiar voice asked. "You would give up all of this for something as trivial as love?" Sasori questioned._

" _It's worth it," the woman on her knees pleaded._

 _Sasori cocked his head, "Foolish human," he whispered. "So you agree on the terms of the contract?"_

" _I agree," the woman's voice shakily proclaimed._

" _Alright. Be ready for me to come and collect," Sasori said, smirk pulling at his lips._

" _Wait," the woman called, scrambling to her feet. "I have this for you. It's a way for us to communicate. This way I can anticipate your arrival."_

 _She passed him a silver hand mirror._

The deep lull that had quieted her conscious abruptly faded and Sakura felt her eyes snap open. Turning her head she looked to see many more sleeping faces slumped to the ground. Her heart thumped- _genjutsu_. Someone had cast an illusion over the entire stadium. Someone who clearly had immense power.

The young girl worried her lip. Kakahsi-sensei said that giving up on teammates made you worse than trash and a large part of her longed to go find Naruto and Sasuke and make sure they were okay. But the more logical side reminded her that she had a duty to Konoha and helping break people out of the genjutsu was priority.

Rolling to her side, Sakura started shaking at the boy beside her.

"Wha-?" the boy slurred.

"You were under a genjutsu- almost the whole stadium is. I think Konoha is under attack," Sakura quickly replied.

Green eyes scanned the immediate area. She longed to find the others from Rookie Nine, but knew that waking up the chunin and jounin would be better. The Hokage was in the stadium and though she knew he was a powerful shinobi, he was also _old_. She didn't want to think of what could happen to him if his guards were down.

Quickly slipping through the pile of bodies, she found a woman in a flack jacket. Shaking the woman's arm, Sakura was alarmed when the woman swung a kunai at her as she sat up. Ducking down, she avoided the weapon and watched as the woman's chilling eyes scanned the stadium.

"Genjutsu. I think we are under attack. Someone should-"

But before she could finish her explanation, the woman was already gone.

Signing, Sakura continued making her way through the crowd, focusing her efforts on higher-level Konoha nin. It was proving to be a thankless and volatile job, as many of the nin woke up swinging. But with each person she awoke, her heart felt stronger. She was helping. She was making a _difference._

As she went to shake a jounin wearing a green jumpsuit, Sakura felt a piercing pain hit her shoulder. Crying out, she fell into the green-clad nin and whirled around, trying not to put weight on her shoulder.

A Sand nin, with a handful of senbon was stalking up to her.

Harshly sucking in air, Sakura's hand's reached for her weapon's pouch. As she grasped a hold of her kunai, another senbon pierced her wrist. Fire shot up her arm. Blinking through tears, she grabbed her weapon and looked up at the nin and waited. And right when she saw his wrist lift to flick another needle at what would probably be her eye, Sakura launched herself at him.

The man was fast, moving out of the way of her kunai. But his hand was filled with senbon, which were long- range weapons. Bowing her back to miss the sharp weapons, she struck forward like a cobra and quickly pierced her kunai into the man's chest.

Green eyes locked with the man's blue, which were rapidly fading. She pulled the metal blade out with a squelching sound, feeling hot blood run over her fingers. The man dropped to the ground and Sakura hastily stepped back. Her balance shifted and she could feel herself stumble. Turning her head, she saw the green clad Konoha jounin starting to get up. But everything seemed oddly blurred. Vertigo ripped through her mind and felt herself sway.

"Whoa, you did a excellent job protecting me," a voice said.

Sakura blinked here eyes trying to get them to focus. But all she saw was a blurring figure of green and thick dark hair. She slumped forward into the man. Trying to get her brain to race against the sluggishness, Sakura froze. Wind was a country that was known for their poison specialists. Blinking down at her hand she could see dark purple lines spreading from where the senbon was firmly planted.

' _I'm going to die'_ was the last thought that crossed through her mind when darkness overtook her.

…..

Opening her eyes felt like ripping off band aids. She could feel the grittiness of sleep sticking them together. Sighing, the young girl looked around the now familiar landscape of the hospital. Looking down to her lap, she poked at the thick bandage wrapped around her hand. She could feel the weight of a similar one wrapped around your shoulder.

"Oh you're awake. Good. You're annoying teammate wouldn't shut up about you."

Sakura looked up to see a tall blonde woman with golden eyes and a rather large chest stride into her room. Her breath caught in her lungs when she saw the little diamond resting in the centre of the woman's forehead… This woman was _Senju Tsunade_. The Slug Princess. Why was she reading _her_ chart?

Tutting, Tsunade continued, "Taking on a Sand chunin like that. You're either brave or stupid. If that poison had been any closer to your heart you'd be dead in an instant."

Inclining her head, Sakura made sure not to stutter, "Thank you for healing me." Her voice was scratchy.

She watched as the woman's brows furrowed, "Well, your charts look good. _Impressively_ good. I'm going to check your bandages."

Sakura froze. The only reason her healing was impressively good was because of her connection to Sasori. And it was some kind of bad karma that led the most talented medical nin to check on her healing. Normally nurses changed bandages- Sakura was sure that the older woman was only doing it out of curiosity. And when the white wrappings cleared away, Sakura was the only one unsurprised to find her hand blemish free. No purple veins, no redness, no swelling.

"You have a bloodlimit kid?" Tsunade asked, eyes never leaving Sakura's small hand.

Her heart thundered in her chest, "No."

Tsunade hummed, "Interesting, normally it takes at least five wee-"

"-Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled barrelling into her room.

Tsunade whipped around and bopped Naruto on the head, "What did I say about running around and yelling in the hospital, you little punk!"

"Haha, sorry granny," Naruto said, with a large whiskered grin as he rubbed his head.

Tsunade scowled at the boy before turning to Sakura, "You're free to leave."

Naruto whooped while Sakura nodded her head.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, climbing onto her bed after the Sanin left. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel fine." And it was true. She did feel fine- perfectly normal. Not even a twinge of discomfort.

"Granny said that you got hit with poisoned senbon while helping take down a Sand nin. That's so cool!" Naruto exclaimed. His blue eyes darkened after a moment, "But you should be more careful."

Sakura snorted. It was ironic that Naruto of all people was cautioning her on safety.

"It all worked out okay. Where is Sasuke-kun? Kakashi-sensei?"

"The bastard is in a room down the hall. Kakashi-sensei is in a meeting."

"What happened Naruto?"

Naruto's smile dropped. Let's go for a walk outside and I'll tell you."

The petite girl eyed him suspiciously. Naruto had a bad habit of asking her on dates. But he looked so earnest that she had to agree. The two slowly meandered down the street after she changed into clean clothes.

"Sasuke and I took off after Gaara. He had some crazy powerful chakra. He is a jinchuriki."

Sakura's breath caught in her throat. A demon lived inside Gaara… And Gaara could manipulate his chakra? She looked at Naruto to find him watching her with a strange intensity.

"Is Gaara okay?"

Naruto smiled a little at the question. "I think so. I'm not to sure what will happen to him with his village though. He seemed so confused and angry." Sakura reached over and pinched the blonde. Naruto yelped, "Sakura-chan!"

"You took on a demon, you idiot! What if you had gotten hurt!" Sakura lectured.

Naruto's blue eyes turned watery, "You were worried?"

Sakura scoffed, "You and Sasuke-kun are my teammates, of course I was worried!"

Naruto nodded and turned his head away. She could see him swiping at his eyes, but chose not to comment.

"What if I told you that you didn't have to worry? That I have special chakra like Gaara's…"

"You said that Gaara was using one of the tailed demon's chakra," Sakura replied, brows furrowing. "How could you…"?

Her eyes snapped up to study Naruto's uncharacteristically serious ones. His whiskers twitched in nervousness. A memory bit at the seams of her mind. Naruto bumping into her at the vegetable market. The merchant pulling Sakura behind her skirts. Scolding Naruto and calling him…

 _Demon boy._

"You're a jinchuriki," Sakura said, information clicking into place.

Naruto hesitated for a moment and then nodded.

"The only demon that has been present in Konoha is the nine tails," she continued. _Well other than the one in my mirror, she thought._ "You are holding the nine tails?" she asked, voice going high.

Naruto remained silent, but nodded again.

Sakura's eyes scanned his form, as if waiting for some part of him to reveal _where_ the demon was stored. "Are you… okay?"

Naruto's lips twitched in a smile. "Yeah, I'm okay."

She let of a relieved sigh, "Good."

The small grin turned into a smile of disbelief, "You don't mind?"

Sakura shook her head. It would be awfully hypocritical of her to mind. "So what else happened?"

"Sasuke and I took on Gaara. He used the bastard as a chew toy," Naruto answered. "But granny said that he will be okay." Naruto looked down, "Orochimaru was disguised as the Kazekage. He killed the Hokage…"

Sakura bit her lip. The news that their Hokage had passed was sad, but she knew that Naruto was much closer to the man than her. "I'm sorry."

Naruto sniffed, "Kakashi-sensei came to help us. Orochimaru escaped."

The two were quiet for a moment. Sakura's mind was spinning with everything Naruto had told her, while the whiskered boy was holding back his grief.

"Hey, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, as they reached her house.

"Yeah?"

"Gaara said something strange about you," Naruto continued, eyes scanning her face.

"He did?" She hadn't spoken to the Sand boy due to his creepiness. What could he possibly have had to say?

"He said you…" Naruto's face took on a slight pink tint, "you smelled like _dark promises_."

Sakura willed herself not to freeze. Sasori was not a tailed demon, he was a contract demon. The exact type of otherworldly creature that made dark promises…

"Oh," she said and laughed an empty little sound, "how strange. Anyways, I'm feeling really tired. I think I should get some more rest..."

Naruto studied her, "He is right though." Sakura's hand froze on her doorknob. "You do smell different. Spicy, dark, _dangerous_. You never used to smell like that and then one day I smelt you and it was like your scent was giving off a big warning sign."

Turning her head, Sakura shrugged, "I don't have your senses Naruto. But to me, I smell the same."

Naruto watched her for a moment and then smiled, "Okay. Well rest up, and then we can go get Ichirakus."

Smiling, she nodded before slipping inside. Her smile fell as the door closed. Guilt gnawed at her insides. Naruto had just revealed his deepest, darkest secret. And she couldn't do the same. It wasn't just _her_ life on the line. Still, she hated lying to someone as innocent as Naruto.

…..

Two weeks later Sakura had been training with Ino and Choji when she got the news. Sasuke-kun was in the hospital again and someone had apparently tried to kidnap Naruto.

Her face turned white as she grabbed her weapons and ran to the hospital. Thoughts chased each other in her mind as she ran to the building.

For the past two weeks, Naruto had been instant on training together and getting lunch at his favourite ramen stand. Sakura had been so happy that her team was back that her bitterness faded and she happily agreed. Sasuke on the other hand had been sullen. For the past two weeks he had been tense. His regular insults were now biting. Simple training spars became rough fights, leaving Sakura and Naruto bruised and bleeding. Kakashi-sensei had been away on a mission, so there was no one to really interfere with his foulness.

Reaching Sasuke's room, Sakura found that Naruto was already in it. The dark haired boy was nestled in his hospital bed, unconscious.

"What happened?" Sakura whispered.

"Missing nin from this group called the Akatsuki tried to take me for the nine tails. Sasuke's brother was one of the missing nin. Bastard chased us and we ended up in a fight."

Sakura gaped at Naruto open mouthed, "Sasuke's _brother?_ "

Naruto looked uncomfortable, "You know that guy that Sasuke said was his life mission to kill? It was his brother. I guess the crazy guy killed his whole clan."

Sakura sucked in a breath. No wonder Sasuke was always alone… always angry.

"How did you get out?"

"Jiraiya came."

Sakura sighed. It seemed like the two boys were in constant danger. "You need to be more careful." She picked an apple out of a basket on Sasuke's table and started peeling it with her kunai.

" _Itachi_ ," a gravelly voice cursed.

Naruto and Sakura's eyes darted over to Sasuke's blinking figure.

"Where is he?" Sasuke snarled.

Naruto shrugged, "Gone. He and that freaky blue guy escaped, while Jiraiya got us out of there. Kakashi-sensei is in a coma by the way."

The two watched as Sasuke deeply inhaled, knuckles turning white as he fisted the hospital blankets.

Sakura bit her lip and moved forward. Maybe food would take his mind off of things… "Here Sasuke-kun. Eat some apple."

Sasuke blinked his dark eyes open and narrowed them at her. Faster than she could see he knocked the plate out of her hands, "You are so _annoying_ Sakura."

Her head tipped down and she blinked away tears. Swallowing thickly she noticed a small cut in her finger where the chipped plate had bit into her skin.

"I'm going to go wash my hands," she quietly said and quickly left the room.

"Why do you always have to be such an asshole to her?" she could hear Naruto snarl.

She washed her hands slowly, letting the thick red blood turn pink under the running water. She refused however, to let her tears run. It hurt that Sasuke never seemed to accept her care for him. She could understand if he was wary of her crush, but he always brushed her off- even as a teammate. Returning back to his hospital room, she found that both of her teammates were gone and the window was open. They were on the roof… _Great._

Chakra walking to the roof, Sakura's breath caught in her throat. Sasuke and Naruto's palms were both holding blue energy. One crackling with electricity, one swirling with volatile energy.

"You are weak- you keep holding me back," Sasuke snarled.

"How can you say that? We are your team, your family!" Naruto shouted.

"My family is dead," Sasuke yelled as he ran forward.

Sakura screamed as she watched Naruto run towards him. Stepping forward with no plan in mind, she reached out. Before she could get in between the boys, a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Kakashi-sensei stepped between the pair and the boys froze.

"What were you thinking?" he asked, voice deadly. "You could have killed each other and hurt Sakura."

"Whatever," Sasuke scoffed, "This team is weak."

"You bastard-" Naruto growled.

"Orochimaru was right," Sasuke said, walking over to the ledge, "you are only holding me back."

Sakura watched as he launched himself off the roof. Something inside her sank as he disappeared from sight. She could hear Naruto stomp over to the doors and disappear through them. Silence shrouded the roof.

"How are you feeling Sakura-chan?"

She tuned to see Kakashi-sensei studying her.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? Naruto said you were in a coma."

Kakashi shrugged, "Tsunade told me that you were poisoned taking on a Suna chunin. You should be more careful- don't bite off more than you can chew."

Sakura scoffed, "And yet Sasuke and Naruto can take on a jinchuriki?"

Kakashi froze for a moment, "Naruto told you?"

She nodded, "Look I know I didn't take my training all too seriously before, but I chose this life. I chose to be a kunoichi. I have already _killed_ for my village. I understand my duties. What I don't understand is why you keep stopping me from learning the skills I need to keep me alive?"

A lone dark eye bore into her green ones.

"You are set on it? On moving forward, being a chunin? You don't want to remain a genin like your father?"

A feeling akin to ice slipping down her spine washed over her, "Obviously I am. I signed the forms that _you_ gave me to be in the exams."

Kakashi sighed and she watched as he scrubbed one hand over his masked face, "You are not like Sasuke and Naruto. You are different. They are _very_ strong for their age-"

"-You were a jounin at _our_ age," she pointed out.

"Look, the boys were going to be on the path to be shinobi no matter what. But you- you don't have to take this path. You're not like them, you're…"

"-Weak?" she finished, the word feeling numb on her tongue.

It felt even worse when Kakashi didn't immediately correct her.

"That's not what I meant," Kakashi said, sounding tired.

Sakura nodded. _It was exactly what he meant_. She turned and walked towards the doors.

"Wait, Sakura-"

She let the heavy metal swing shut with a resolute bang.

For the rest of the day she felt a restless sort of energy eat at her. Negative thoughts tore at her conscious. Her sensei hadn't noticed her improvement. Hadn't taken into account that she had already killed for her village. There was no going back to being an innocent civilian girl now… She _had_ changed, even if he failed to see it. And Sasuke... Sasuke would forever think she was annoying. Useless. _Dead weight_. Holding him back…

When darkness washed over the treetops she decided to go for a walk. Pacing her bedroom was a sure fire way to rouse her father's attention and that was the last thing she needed. Shuffling down the empty streets towards the gates, her green eyes studied the night sky. How was it that her least taxing problem was harbouring a demon?

Her eyes quickly dropped when she noticed another figure at the gate.

"Sasuke-kun?"

The figure froze and Sakura watched as her turned to face her.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, shifting his feet.

Sakura frowned, "I was going for a walk. What are _you_ doing here?" She scanned his form, "Why do you have a travel pack?"

He remained silent and Sakura bit her lip. She knew the answer. _He was leaving_.

"Don't go! We can help you become stronger. Help you with your goal!" She rushed towards him and grabbed his shirt, "Just don't leave."

Grasping her fingers Sakura saw a ghost of a smile reach his lips, "So annoying," he whispered.

"I love you," she softly cried.

She could feel Sasuke freeze from underneath her hands. Her head titled up to see not the black eyes she adored, but red sharingan ones.

"Thank you," Sasuke said softly.

And then her world went black.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Before anyone lights their pitchforks, I am not trying to villainize Kakashi. In this chapter in particular I think he is desperately trying to save Sakura from a gritty life because he is reminded of Rin when he looks at her. He is not taking her wishes into account.**

 **Also, heads up. I am going to be adding some years between the original and Shippuden. For my own conscious, I want Sakura to be a little older for the other reasons this story is rated M. Next chapter we will be getting into some more of that.**

 **Thank you to everyone who had reviewed! I love hearing your feedback and thoughts on where this story is going!**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	8. Pheonix

_Umbrella Warning: Mature content of a sexual nature from here on out in the story. And I mean graphic stuff!_

 **Chapter 8: Phoenix**

" _I am not what_

 _has happened to me._

 _I am_

 _what I choose to become."_

 _\- Carl Jung_

 **Year One:**

Sakura is thirteen years old when she wakes up on a cold stone bench to the sunrise and the feeling of shame. Her head is aching, her heart even more and she is devastated. She spends three days moping around her house trying to figure out where everything went so wrong. On the fourth day Naruto shows up and exclaims that he too is going to leave the village to train with the sanin, Jiraiya. She feels a strange sort of hollowness as she watches the orange clad boy jubilantly wave when he leaves the gates. She is left behind.

Sadness gives way to _anger_.

She is angry with her father for never paying attention to her. For having always been off in some foreign library while she was in the chunin exams or the hospital. Angry that he takes more interest in otherworldly creatures than his own family.

She is angry at Kakashi-sensei for not taking her seriously. For looking at pink hair, smooth skin and a short stature and deciding that she is more suited for the role of damsel than dragon slayer. That no matter how hard she has worked he has never recognized her progress. But more so she is angry that the minute Sasuke and Naruto are beyond the gates, Kakashi is _gone_.

She is angry with Sasori. Angry that he is stuck in a mirror that has become a permanent fixture on her dresser. Angry that he offered her pain in the guise of companionship. Angry that every honey word he spoke to her was coated in poison. She is furious about a bond that she can't fathom how to break and even more furious that she seems to be benefitting from it. Her body has never been so healthy- her emotional state has never been more war-torn.

But most of all she is angry with herself.

It is one week after Naruto leaves the village that Sakura decides she needs a plan. One teammate is forsaken, one is an upcoming hero. She refuses to be just the one left behind. It is not until she is training with Ino that the idea come to her. In the middle of a spar, Ino's kunai bites into the flesh on her collarbone. Both girls halt as the blood runs freely. Sakura pours water over her wound and bandages it carefully before continuing their deadly dance of weapons. Three hours later when the girls fall into a heap of exhaustion, Ino demands to check her cut. Unwrapping the bandage, Sakura does not even have to look down to know what she will see; Ino's face tells it all. The flesh has knitted back together and rapidly gone through the stages of healing- a pink slash is that shouldn't show for weeks covers the once grizzly wound. Ino's blue eyes narrow in confusion and Sakura knows she has to come up with a better explanation- a permanent one.

The next day she barges into Senju Tsunade, the newly appointed Fifth Hokage's office and demands the woman teach her medical ninjutsu. The chesty blonde huffs and hands Sakura a list of thirty books that she needs to memorize in two weeks before she will even consider spending the time teaching her. She memorizes them in one.

Her training with the Slug Sanin is gruelling in every sense.

The first week Tsunade flops a dying fish in front of her and demands that she heal it. Panic makes her movements frantic, but she has no time to doubt her skills. Her mind focuses on what she has read, her body mimics the movements. She is successful. Her new shishou remains unimpressed, but Sakura is drunk on her triumph.

Physical training is something else all together. Everyday she becomes the woman's favourite bulls-eye. Anko has taught her how to dodge a hit. Tsunade teaches her how to take one. She teaches her pain through broken bones and ripped fingernails. She makes her heal each of her wounds before reopening them. She needles at every single flaw until Sakura is forced to look at the worst parts of herself and fix them.

Six months into training and she has moved from fish to birds to deer. The skin on her knuckles is permanently raw despite her regenerative abilities. She is no longer taking hits, but doling them out. Tsunade demands that Sakura has to have the physical strength to punch through trees before she will teach her how to punch through mountains with chakra. Mornings are a rush of sterile walls and hospital murmurs. Afternoons are sweat and blood and ruined training grounds. Nights are books and scrolls and endless knowledge.

Eight months into training her anger has been replaced with determination. She is not going to accept any role that paints her as the side character, the backup, or worse- the damsel. She is going to be the hero of her own story. Tsunade forces her to do handstands on the lake while reciting each part of the circulatory system. She forces Sakura to cut open a corpse and figure out what killed him. And she finally teaches Sakura how to augment her hits with chakra.

One year into training and she feels like a warrior. The strongest woman in the world is her teacher. A crazy, but deadly jounin sometimes spars with her. A beautiful blonde mind reader helps her study. She feels _invincible_.

 _She is thirteen years old and she has her first dream of him. The shadowed man._

 _At night she slides exhausted into bed. And as her eyes close, another part of her soul opens._

 _She is lying on soft grass and staring at the stars. Dew is sinking into the nape of her neck and her toes. Fireflies dance above her eyes and she can hear cicadas singing._

 _It is the perfect night._

 _A smile pulls at her lips and she hears him_ _sigh contently from beside her. Large fingers thread through her smaller ones._

It feels like home.

 **Year Two:**

Sakura is fourteen years old and has taken to medical ninjutsu like a dog with a bone. Her thirst for improvement is unquenchable. Her strive to advance her taijutsu is manic. Her small chakra pool is becoming a lake.

And yet, it is not enough.

It is not enough to stop her eyes from straying to the stone bench at the gates, hearing a ghostly ' _thank you',_ or to keep from stopping by the ramen stand, hoping to see a blonde head. It is barely enough to keep her from glancing around the Hokage Tower waiting to see a masked face buried in a smutty book. At least with _him_ there would be a chance sighting… but there never is.

Sakura becomes adamant. She admires her shishou's first apprentice, but she does not want to follow her role. She has no inclination of merely becoming a replica of the Slug Sanin, nor does she want to dabble in poisons. She would carve her own path- create her _own_ signature.

Tsunade does not like to lecture, but when she does, it always comes back to the brain. How delicate and powerful it is. How one muscle controls the entire function of the body. The brain fascinates Sakura. Genjutsu is something that has always been natural to her and she intrigues herself with the possibilities of how illusions can affect the mind. And just how deadly a genjutsu's illusionary control mixed with a medic's _real_ control of the mind can be.

So she returns to her second home- the library. She spends her mornings trading punches with the Slug Princess, afternoons healing broken bones and burnt skin and evenings amongst yellowing pages.

It is no longer the pimple- faced genin of her childhood that guards the stacks. Now a pale-eyed chunin keeps his unnerving eyes on the place. He keeps his byakugan eyes fixed on _her_. At first it unsettles her. Feeling his pupil-less orbs staring at the back of her neck as she feasts on scrolls about illusions.

Three weeks into her pursuit of merging her medical and mind-bending skills, he finally introduces himself. His name is Hyuuga Asahi. He comments on her study habits with a well- veiled barb that makes her throw her head back in laughter. His answering smile catches her breath.

One month later Sakura has no problem admitting (only to herself, never to Ino) that she is going to the library to visit Asahi as much as the tomes on genjutsu. Her feminine pride grows bold every time his pearly eyes trace her footsteps. And though byakugan white is not sharingan red, he gazes upon her with flirtatious interest and it is _exciting._

A month and a half after meeting the chunin, Sakura finds herself backed against a bookshelf, fluttering her eyes as Asahi leans in close to regale her about his latest mission. Butterflies flit through her stomach as he presses his arm against her, describing his heroic actions. She barely pays attention to the words coming out of his lips, as she is too focused on his lips in general. And like a good shinobi, he notices her distraction. Tilting his head down, his lips brush hers in a tentative kiss that feels like warmth and innocence. She presses her own lips back, giddy at her milestone.

Her first kiss is magical in its harmless charm.

 _She is fourteen years old and she dreams of desperate hands weaving through her hair to bring her closer to him. She dreams of soft, angry lips devouring her own._

 _She doesn't feel butterflies- she feels molten heat that scorches her insides in the most addictive way._

 _Her nighttime visions are so realistic that she can feel the bite of his teeth as they pull on her bottom lip. She can feel his tongue demanding entrance, before dancing with her own. She can feel his fingertips trail from her earlobe to her clavicle._

 _His kisses are_ not _warmth and innocence. His kisses are hot, heady lava. His kisses leave a damp trail from her mouth to her neck. Hot breath and wet tongue that make her back arch and thighs rub together._

 _His kisses are branding._

She wakes up with bruised lips and a racing heart.

 **Year Three:**

Sakura is fifteen years old and paranoid.

She has spent two months trading kisses, eating lunches and gazing at sunsets with Hyuuga Asahi. He makes her feel something that no other male in her life has before- _wanted._ Asahi craves her attention and Sakura feels a glowing sense of achievement as she allows him spare moments of her time.

Three months after she turns fifteen, Asahi kisses her with growing passion before he leaves the village on a mission.

He comes back in a body bag.

Sakura spends exactly two hours sobbing into her arms in the dingy office Tsunade has granted her before said woman barges in and drags her to the training grounds. Desperation makes her hit sloppy, her escapes slow, her mind frazzled. But for once her shishou has no comment. She lets the young girl stomp around with chakra-laden feet and vent her rage.

"It's the life we lead," Tsunade explains, eyes kinder than the tone she takes.

Sakura nods her head. She knows this. _Kami does she know it_. But Asahi is the first person that she's closely acquainted with that has lost his life on the job. And as much as she is aware that he will not be the only nin to die on a mission, the sting of his loss pokes another hole in her fragile heart.

She goes to his funeral and lets Ino hold her hand. Green eyes watch as a hoard of pale- eyed people pay their respect. She watches as a middle-aged woman freely cries- _his mother_.

As the Hyuuga clan mourn their lost member, Sakura mourns the possibilities. She did not know Asahi enough to really grieve who he was- she barely knew _who_ he was. But she mourns that her chance to get to know him better has been stolen. She mourns his lips, secretive smiles and awkward hand holding when they are out in public. She mourns the dates, the soft touches, the growing emotions that _could_ have happened, but are forever frozen with him in the ground.

She spends the next two months training as if Konoha were at war. She barely eats, doesn't sleep and scrapes at her chakra reserves. Every spar is a battle. Every hit she takes taunts her; every strike she unleashes is a fatal blow. Anko cackles in delight and croons goading insults. Tsunade furrows her brow in worry, but remains silent. Ino huffs and sweats and groans, but she never complains.

A week later, she crashes and she crashes _hard_.

Sakura has been reading all-night and training all morning, but she pushes it all aside when she steps into the sterile operating room. She is working with a team of nurses on a kunoichi who has kunai shrapnel lodged in one of the main arteries of her heart. It is a delicate procedure that requires the utmost concentration to get the metal out without allowing the woman to bleed internally. It is in the precise moment that she is lifting the kunai fragment out that her chakra wavers. The wound begins to haemorrhage. An older doctor pushes her aside and saves her botched operation. He reports her to Tsunade.

Tsunade proceeds to throw all the empty sake jugs lined up on her bookshelf at Sakura's head with deadly aim. The older woman screams at her about her irresponsibility. About how careless she is being with _other_ people's lives. She finishes her rant by telling Sakura that if she can't even take care of herself than she might as well hand in her headband- she will never be a useful shinobi, let alone a medic nin.

Shame haunts her as she leaves her master's office. She goes home and sleeps for the rest of the day. Real, deep, uninterrupted sleep. When she wakes up, it is with new resolve. She won't live her life as if she or everyone else around her were already half in the grave. Shizune had once told her that she wouldn't be able to save everyone. So she dials her intensity down. Her sparring is still deadly, and her work at the hospital is taxing, but she no longer neglects her own well- being.

Ino is a distraction and a solution to a confidence problem she didn't want to think she had. The tall blonde marches up to Sakura's house, dragging Choji behind her and demands that Sakura enter the chunin exams with them. She answers with a cynical smile and a resounding yes.

Ino acts as their defense- she has powerful legs, strong arms, and an even more deadly mind- transfer jutsu. The blonde stays in the background. Choji is their offense- he can plough through weapons and people alike with his sizing jutsu. When Choji fights, Sakura is often amazed at how the mild mannered teen asserts his aggression. Sakura is their wild card. She slips between offense and defense, using her genjutsu to trap enemies and her deadly fists to strike them down.

Their victory leaves triumph burning in Sakura's veins and a bitter taste on her tongue. It feels like she is floating on a drug high as people pat her back and _recognize_ her for her hard work. And yet she cannot fully enjoy her success because it is the wrong blonde standing beside her, and auburn spikes should be black and there is no silver haired sensei.

She wonders why for the millionth time her team can so easily loosen their bonds, while she remains entwined in them.

When they return back to the village, she greets her father feeling a strange sense of expectation. She craves his congratulations, and yet feels awkward that she now outranks him. He neither praises, nor chides her. Instead, when she steps in the door he clutches her shoulders and interrogates her on the state of his study. Her temper quickly replaces the flash of disappointment. Because of course he doesn't care about the chunin exams. Of course he is too busy being concerned about demons…

' _One of my scrolls is missing' Kizashi implores._

Sakura merely shrugs her shoulders. It has been years since she stepped foot in her father's study. It has been years since she has communicated with a demon. As far as she is concerned, they _aren't_ her concern. Whatever bond she had has clearly faded.

The only scrolls she is focused on are ones on genjutsu. Time has cooled her wounds and she returns to the library. And while she refuses to make eye contact with female chunin who now mans the desk, Sakura feels the familiar comfort of the aisles envelop her. She digs back into her research with renewed enthusiasm.

But books Sakura discovers are _lonely_. They are wonderful, uplifting, intriguing, dark and deadly. Books are enriching, but they are cold. They cannot replace the warmth she felt when Asahi would engage her in conversation. They cannot produce butterflies or make her toes curl. And she desperately misses that feeling.

And because there is no one in her life to help ignite that feeling, Sakura sets out to ignite it in herself. She has read hundreds of books on the human body, dozens of scrolls on the reproductive system, endorphins, and nerve endings. And yet it is starkly different reading the clinical words of a textbook and practicing arousing them in herself. Fact and fantasy overlap and when her fingers slip under the waste-band of her panties, Sakura stops thinking of the fine print and starts _feeling._

She spends a month discovering her body. Exploring how to touch herself in ways that make her hips shift as if searching for _more_. It is not exactly a shameful secret- she of all people knows how natural this is, and yet heat fills her cheeks at the thought of someone finding out.

So on a late Sunday evening, when her orgasm blurred eyes return to focus she feels sudden horror and embarrassment as she stares out her window and swears she sees a glance of a man starting back. When she rushes to the window, no one is there. But it is unsettling enough that paranoia settles in.

 _She is fifteen years old and she dreams of being held by a strong, hot body._

 _She dreams of rough padded fingers trailing down each vertebrae of her spine before they bite into her hips. She dreams of cool breath blowing on her ear and a hot tongue lapping a fiery trail down the slope of her neck. She dreams of sharp teeth sinking into her shoulder, sending shocks of pleasure and pain that make her blood race._

 _His large stature envelops her smaller one in an embrace that makes her feel both safe and wild._

 _She dreams of large hands cupping her breasts and tugging at her nipples. She rolls her hips back into his thighs and feels him hard against her spine._

In her dreams she is shamelessly wanton.

 **Year Four:**

Sakura is sixteen years old and she is daring.

She gets a thrilling sense of delight as she toes at lines before boldly crossing them. As a kunoichi she has learned to be flexible- rules are meant to be bent. Those who are fragile, _frigid,_ break.

Her shishou has now declared her a master. No longer does she bear the title of apprentice. She has learned all she can from the Slug Princess- at least about medical ninjutsu. So Tsunade decided to impart one last coveted skill- storing chakra. She often wonders what colour her diamond shaped seal will take.

She spends most of her time caring for patients at the hospital. And as much as it feels rewarding, deep down she knows that healing is not her true passion. Her knowledge of medical ninjutsu has allowed to her heal everything from injuries to diseases. Apart from flat out decapitation, Sakura is confident that she could heal almost _anything._

But for every way she fixes someone else's pain, she knows six more way to inflict it. Medical ninjutsu is a double- edged sword. Her knowledge of the body both aids in healing, but also in destruction. She hasn't told _anyone_ , but Sakura feels a strange sort of triumph in knowing that she is capable of _both_.

Where her real passion lies though, is genjutsu. There is something so terrifying and godlike in being able to create an illusionary world that is so believable that a person can feel trapped in it. Sakura never feels more powerful than when she cast her illusions and adds a trickle of medical ninjutsu, heightening the effects to her illusion. Her ensnared prey can now feel, hear, touch, taste inside her illusions. She can manipulate a person into seeing, and feeling their worst nightmare. She can work someone up enough that cardiac arrest will set in. But she can also make her illusions so sweet, and soft and gentle that a person would weep to stay in them.

She tries to keep news of her skills apart from being a medic nin under wrap- after all sometimes it is a _good_ thing to be underestimated. But after Anko goads her into making a demonstration and Sakura leaves a lanky chunin boy twitching on the ground in terror, news trickles down the grapevine.

And when Shiranui Genma corners her and requests that she join his team for a one- time mission in Grass Country, Sakura is flattered. Sometimes she hates the surprise she automatically feels when someone recognizes her skills. She has grown- _grown_ _so much_. But a little part of her always fears being a dead weight.

She joins the senbon lover on his mission. Deep into Grass Country, she is forced to use her medical skills to heal her comrades from poison. Fighting her way out of Grass Country, stolen scroll in Genma's pouch, she creates a genjutsu that leaves their pursuers entrapped in a seemingly endless maze. Genma is amazed- he teases her the whole way home.

The older man flirts with her as they walk to Hokage tower. It is empty banter that has no real promise of heat, but it is satisfying. It reminds her that she is no longer a lost little girl. And as she walks through the heavy wooden doors of Tsunade's office, she catches one lone eye watch her from the window. She wonders if her former sensei realizes this too.

 _She is sixteen dreams of angry fingers pulling at her hair. She feels kisses that are too biting to be gentle, but they make her curl her toes in anticipation._

 _He bites a nipple and her legs part in invitation. He whispers dark and dirty promises down her stomach and she knows she should be terrified, but it only makes her shiver and pant for more. She feels cool breath blow on her hot centre and she wants to tug him into her._

 _Touch me. Touch me. Please Kami, just_ touch me.

 _Her dream lover is either a mind reader or simply an expert on her body because his lips suck on her clit and make her hands clench the bed sheets, She throws her head back and moans unrestrained._

 _She grinds her hips in tandem with his tongue, gasping and writhing and clutching at his head. Because it is_ so good, too good, don't stop, _please_ don't stop!

 _His fingers slip into her without warning, and she arches her back. His purr of satisfaction at her uncensored pleasure vibrates through her core and she can feel her insides begin to flutter._

 _His fingers feel nothing like her own as they curl into her. Beckoning her to come closer. Closer and closer and they keep hitting that sweet spot inside of her until she explodes._

She wakes up with sweat rolling down her spine and her core quivering with aftershocks.

 **Year Five:**

Sakura is seventeen years old and has wanderlust.

The hospital often keeps her captive. Her skills are needed and tensions are building beyond the boarder, leading to more injured Konoha nin.

But occasionally Tsunade lets her slip out of the gates to complete a mission with various teams. She especially likes when she gets placed on Genma's team. Not because of his shameless flirtation, but because of his second in command- Ken. Ken is maybe four years older than her with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. And when he flirts with her it _does_ have intention.

On her seventeenth birthday, she lets Ino talk her into a pair of precariously high heels and perches herself on a bar stool. Her skirt is showing a scandalous amount of smooth skin, and her top drapes around her collarbones in an enticing way. A purple seal shines on her forehead.

She does not have Ino's long legs, or Hinata's abundant curves. But Sakura hears what they say about her- she is beautiful, _exotic._ At first the word pisses her off- it makes her sound like a rare zoo animal. But the appreciative glances make her feel like a woman.

And when Ken buys her a drink and alcohol bites at her lips she gives into a feeling that has haunted her since Asahi died. She lets him take her home. His kisses are demanding and the stubble on his chin grates against her neck, but it is wonderful. He rushes to pull her clothes off and it is frantic, but hot. His palms grab her breasts and it feels sensitive, but…nice?

His fingers abruptly plunge into her and it is- _wrong, no, wrong, bad, stop, get out, don't touch me_.

Ken shrugs his shoulders. He has drunk considerably more than she has and seems just as okay with sleeping than having sex with her. It bruises her ego, and yet she cannot truly mind, as a feeling of _wrongness_ slapped her in the face as Ken started to touch her. _Really touch her._

She still takes missions with his team. She flirts with Genma, laughs with Raido and smiles at Ken as if nothing has happened. But the jovial atmosphere has changed and it's not from her botched one night- stand. It's from the missions. The aggression that has seeped its way into Fire Country and started poisoning everyone.

Sakura can feel the tension brewing. She can feel it heavy in the air, like lightening before a storm.

Tsunade calls a lot of her forces back. Nin that are posted as peacekeepers or information gathers are sent back to Konoha.

She is seventeen when Naruto returns.

 **A/N- Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you to those who reviewed my last chapter! I chose to write it in a different tense, so you still got to see snippets of Sakura's life as they are. I know that some people were looking forward to me showing different scenes from canon, but I chose a different route.**

 **Also, I am putting a warning on this chapter for the rest of the story. I don't want to spoil graphic content scenes of any kind. Also, I love a good smut scene, but I like it when sex furthers a plot. So that's how I plan on continuing.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	9. Past Afflictions

**Chapter 9: Past Afflictions**

" _Deep into the darkness peering,_

 _long I stood there, wondering, fearing,_

 _doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal_

 _ever dared to dream before"_

 _\- Edgar Allan Poe_

Sakura did not know what to say when the not so subtle question fell from Genma's mouth.

His stare had become pointed, "Why don't you sign up for the jounin exams? We could use someone like you on rotation more often."

She had opened her mouth with a swiftly calculated list of reasons… _The hospital needed her, Tsunade needed her, Shizune needed her_ … But all of them halted on her tongue. The truth was she didn't know why she had not considered taking the jounin exams.

And two hours later as she lay on her bed, staring unseeingly at the ceiling, she still wasn't sure. She had been a chunin for nearly two years. And while many shinobi halted the escalation of their career at this stage, Sakura had always been ambitious. At seventeen years old, she felt confident enough in her skill set that she thought she could be considered an elite.

So why the reservations?

The young woman sighed; deep down she knew her reasons. There were two requirements of being a jounin. The first was that at some point they were required to be a genin sensei. Sakura had no qualms in admitting her unpopular opinion of not liking children. The second was more complicated. Unless signed up for a specialty division, most jounin were required to be a part of a four- man squad.

And even though Sakura _knew_ that the bonds of her genin team were frayed beyond repair, a part of her was uncomfortable with the thought of being assigned another team. She had worked with lots of other teams in the near five years since Team Seven split, but Sakura had always known that her place within these squads was temporary.

Being a chunin had always been easier. Chunin worked individually. Often they were group together for random missions, but for the most part, chunin and Sakura in particular got to work alone.

But the more that she turned the thought around in her mind, the more she liked the sound of it. _Her_ being considered a top tier shinobi. A girl that came from a non-reputable clan, starting out with no overwhelming skill set or specialty jutsu. Just hard work and blinding perseverance.

Working in the Hokage office, Sakura was well informed about the state of the nations too. Trouble was brewing beyond their boarders. Harmless skirmishes started escalating into larger problems within Fire Country. And Sakura knew that her former shishou could use more talent in her higher-level forces.

And maybe, just _maybe_ she could admit to herself that with Naruto's pending arrival, she wanted to show him that she could be great. And Kakashi was a ghost in her life, but she was sure that the news of her becoming a jounin would even reach his ears. A satisfied smirk bloomed on her lips- it would feel like victory having her former sensei know that she was good enough, even if he never saw her potential.

Huffing, Sakura acknowledged her own pettiness. Being able to flaunt a higher status in the faces of her former team shouldn't be on the 'pro' list of her decision making, but it was. Having to prove herself to people that were no longer a major part of her life seemed silly.

But the next day, she signed her name in bold characters on the jounin exam form.

The same day Uzumaki Naruto walked through Konoha's gates.

Sakura was in the Hokage's office, submitting her paperwork when a messenger slipped between Tsunade's doors and announced that the Jiraiya and his student were approaching the tower. She wasn't sure why exactly she had froze at the news- she had known that Naruto was coming back.

In her moment of hesitation, the wooden doors to Tsunade's office burst open. In strolled Naruto, cocky jaunt to his stride, while Jiraiya meandered in behind him, similar gait. She could see the porcelain masked ANBU guard clench the door tightly as they closed it, and Sakura was betting that under the mask, the nin was probably scowling at the dramatic pair.

"Granny, we're back! Did you miss- _Sakura- chan!"_ Naruto squawked, gaping at the pink haired young woman.

A small smile appeared on her lips, as her green eyes took in his form. No longer was Naruto wearing his gaudy orange jumpsuit. Now it was replaced with a slightly less obnoxious black and orange two-piece. The once small boy had grown into a tall, broad shouldered man. She mentally frowned at the word, as there was just something _wrong_ about thinking of Naruto as a man. And gauging by his entrance, Naruto still didn't _act_ like an adult. She didn't have any more time to scan him over, as the blonde came bounding over to her and scooped her up in a bone- crushing hug.

"Sakura-chan, I missed you!" he said, before nuzzling his face into her hair.

She could feel him inhale deeply before he stiffened. Setting her back on her feet, Sakura watched as he pulled back enough to study her intently with brilliant blue eyes.

"Say your hellos _later_ brat _!_ Get back over here and report," Tsunade grouched from behind her desk.

"Now _hime,_ it's only polite that Naruto greet such a beautiful young woman immediately," Jiraiya said, tone lecherous.

She hid her smirk as the Slug Sanin reached for her sake jug and chucked it at the white haired legend.

"Sakura, dismissed. Someone will contact you about your application within the week," Tsunade said, not taking her narrowed amber eyes off of Jiraiya. "I will meet you at the training ground later."

Sakura nodded and tried to move away from Naruto, but his hands bit into her shoulders. She looked up, realizing that his eyes still hadn't left her face.

"I missed you too," she mouthed, before shrugging off his grip. With a nod to the Toad Sanin, and a bow to the Hokage, Sakura headed out through the doors.

Walking down the sunny street towards the training ground her thoughts spun. It was both uncomfortable and exhilarating seeing Naruto. A part of her was both curious and nervous about what he might think of her growth.

" _So…_ did you consider my jounin question?" a teasing voice questioned from behind her.

Quick as lightening she snatched the senbon out of his mouth without turning. She bit back a smirk at his slight choking sound.

"I did," she replied, twirling the thin needle through her fingers.

"And what do you think?" Genma asked, arm slithering around her waist, while his other hand tried to snatch back the needle.

Sakura offered him a coy smile and poked his wandering hand gently with the steel.

The older man chuckled a deep throaty laugh, and her smile became more genuine.

"You will just have to wait and see," she said, skipping ahead of him.

"That means yes," he shouted from behind her.

She waved her hand and continued on to the training ground. Reaching the familiar dirt, Sakura started her stretches and katas. It was unfortunate that Anko was out of the village on a mission, as she really could have used some weapons practice.

The young woman weaved through her taijutsu forms before inhaling deeply. She wanted to work on her genjutsu, but knew she would need to conserve her chakra for training with her former mentor. Lifting herself into a handstand, Sakura considered what approach she would use in taking down the legendary woman. Her back bowed and head snapped forward when she felt the presence of another chakra on the field.

"Granny told me I could find you here," Naruto said, wide smile on his face. "Feel like sparring?"

Sakura sprung up from her handstand and nodded at her former teammate. It would be a good time for her to prove her skills.

"You two weren't going to spar without your sensei, were you?" a familiar voice questioned.

Sakura stiffened as Naruto's already large grin widened.

"Kakashi-sensei!" the blonde shouted, running over to the masked man.

Sakura was barely able to hold back her snarl. Because _of course_ he would be here. _Of course_ all it took was Naruto returning to the village for him to pop up again. He had been absent from her life for nearly five years, but one hour of Naruto being back in the village and her former sensei strolled back into her life as if he had every right to. She kept her face carefully blank as she eyed the man.

"Now that two of my students are back and 'stronger', maybe they deserve a little test?" Kakashi said, pulling two little bells from his pocket and jingling them together.

" _Alright_!" Naruto whooped.

"Why?" Sakura sharply questioned.

"Curiosity I suppose and perhaps nostalgia," Kakashi replied with a careless shrug, but Sakura could see his dark eye studying her solemnly.

"Come on Sakura-chan! We can show the old man how awesome we are," Naruto boasted.

Looking at the blonde, she could feel her resolve crumble. Naruto so badly wanted this. And perhaps a test where she could show off her ruthlessness would hammer in the point that things were so clearly _not_ the same as before he left. She nodded sharply at the gray haired man and Naruto jumped over to her.

"So what's our strategy?" Naruto questioned.

Sakura inwardly sighed. Kakashi wouldn't accept defeat unless they worked together.

"I trap him and you grab the bells?" she offered, leaving the details purposely vague.

There was a reason teams trained together before leaving for missions. She no longer knew what Naruto's strengths and weaknesses were. She could guess… but ultimately it was rather silly to rely on each other when they had no concrete evidence of each other's skills. Naruto especially had no knowledge of her skills.

But the blonde just smiled, "Sounds good."

"Ready?" Kakashi asked, teasingly shaking the bells.

They both nodded and when the clock went off, Sakura slammed a chakra-laden foot down. The training shook before erupting in a hail of dirt and rubble. And while her former sensei fought for his footing, she began making hand signs. Her illusion was a simple one- just a _slight_ change in reality. He would still smell the dirt, feel the uneven ground, but his depth perception would be off. Any movements would cause dizziness and he would favour one side of his body, balance thrown.

Turning her head, she noticed Naruto frozen, gaping at the mess the earth had turned into after a stomp of her foot.

"Go," Sakura whisper- shouted.

Naruto shook his head before grinning. She watched as Kakashi went to dodge a hit from Naruto before stumbling. A smirk curled on her lips. It fell just as quickly as she watched him lift his forehead protector and expose his sharingan eye.

She knew enough about the sharingan to know that it could easily see through genjutsu. Forming new hand signs, she was determined. Kakashi may notice her genjutsu, but the difference was, _would_ he be able to break it? To fight against his own body's reactions?

Pleasure or pain?

Eying the man for a moment, she decided on the latter. She would feel guilt at her pettiness _after_.

Naruto attacked Kakashi with his glowing blue palm, and she weaved her illusion. It was tricky, trying to layer her chakra so that it would touch Kakashi without affecting Naruto. But as she formed the last layer, she watched as Naruto ducked out of Kakashi's reach, while the older male stepped into her trap.

Cool green eyes observed as the man stiffened, his sharingan spinning. He _knew_ it was an illusion, but his body was responding anyways. Strolling up, she could see his pulse hammering in his neck and his muscles tensed. He held a white knuckled grip on the bells. The nerve endings in his brain were telling him he was in agony.

She watched as Naruto hesitantly crept up and waved a hand in front of Kakashi's face. A pink eyebrow arched- he was in enough pain that he should have been writhing on the ground. Discomfort bit at her- the only reason why he wouldn't be, was if he was _used_ to this sort of pain.

She reached over and grabbed the bells from him, before dispelling the illusion. Hazy mismatched eyes returned to focus before they locked onto her. Calmly, she passed a bell to Naruto, eyes never leaving her former sensei.

"Ugh, what just happened?" Naruto asked, glancing between the two.

Sakura gazed at Kakashi for one moment longer before she stepped back and turned to Naruto smiling, "Just a simple genjutsu."

Naruto slowly nodded before laughing as he jingled the bell at Kakashi.

"Are we done here?" she questioned, looking over he shoulder at the older man.

He remained rooted in place staring at her.

"Done here? Sakura-chan, we haven't even gotten ramen! We haven't made plans on how we are going to get the bastard to come home!"

She sighed, "Naruto- it has been five years. I doubt Sasuke considers Konoha home anymore."

Naruto stopped jingling the bell and straightened his posture, "Then we will just have to convince him."

Sakura could feel the headache starting to form. She had not thought about Sasuke in years. At least not fondly. Time, along with perspective had wizened her on her former crush's behaviour, "He is not a stray kitten that has wandered out into the wilderness. He is a missing- nin that is actively helping Konoha's enemies. Sasuke is a _traitor_."

Naruto took in her words as if he had been slapped, "He is our _teammate_."

" _We aren't a team anymore_!"

Naruto's eyes blazed as he stared at her trembling form, "How can you say that?" he asked, voice thick.

"It's been five years," she spat, eyes defiant.

Feelings poured out of her, and her words were all true, but they were coming out wrong. And she didn't resent Naruto in the way she did Kakashi or Sasuke, but he was _so_ forgiving. So unlike her. She held grudges and kept her anger close to her heart. And she hated the look of betrayal in blue eyes, as she was the only one who never _left_ the team.

"Sakura is right Naruto- Team Seven has been officially disbanded," Kakashi slowly said, readjusting his headband so it covered his red eye.

"Than we will reinstate it," Naruto stubbornly persisted.

Sakura's eyes flickered over to Kakashi's and she could tell that the older man read the message within them. _I don't want to reinstate it_.

Instead she grabbed her canteen and zipped her weapon's pouch. "I have to get going."

She tried not to care when Naruto remained silent as she made her way out.

Once she passed the gate, Sakura slowed her stride. Was she the only rational one on her team when it came to Sasuke? The irony of it should have been amusing. _It wasn't._ Sasuke had been an apprentice of Orochimaru for years- how could Naruto think he would be anything like the boy that had left them? Unless he was secretly corresponding with the Uchiha, than how did Naruto have so much faith? Especially when she knew Sasuke would never repay the favour.

Walking up the laneway of her house, Sakura paused as she noticed a small black bird sitting on the windowsill to her father's study. Her green eyes narrowed and she probed for chakra around the area. The bird had been sitting there for three days in a row. Sensing no chakra beyond her own and her fathers, she sighed. It probably had a nest nearby.

As she opened the front door, a hand suddenly gripped her wrist. Shoving the assailant back, Sakura crushed his hand with a flick of her wrist. The man cried out, and his voice was familiar…

" _Father_?" Sakura questioned, aghast.

"Close the door," Kizashi hissed, cradling his broken hand to his body.

She kicked the door shut, and reached for his hand. Her father swatted her away.

"To the study first," he whispered.

Sakura furrowed her brow. Her father was a bit eccentric by anyone's standards. But this was… _odd_. Still, she followed him up the stairs and watched as he did a complicated sealing jutsu that way beyond genin level on the door, before entering his office.

The moment the door was closed questions sprang from her lips, "What is going on? Where did you learn that jutsu?"

Kizashi sighed as he slumped into his chair, "I have had to add a bit more security to my office lately."

Sakura grabbed his arm and quickly healed his hand, ignoring his flinch as the bones popped back into place, "Why do you need more security?"

"I've done some things. Things I shouldn't have…"

Sakura looked into her father's brown eyes to see him gazing back at her intently.

"What kinds of things?"

"After you were born I was asked to research demons- to help prevent another attack like the nine-tails from ever happening. I was flattered beyond measure when Danzo-sama asked me. And I was intrigued by my subject. But my research has taken me to some dark places- and I'm starting to doubt the benevolence of my orders."

Sakura frowned, "What do you mean? You just said that they want to know about demons to prevent another attack..."

Kizashi scrubbed a hand over his face, and for the first time in years Sakura truly studied her father. He looked older, weary, and most unsettling- he looked distrustful.

"Demons don't just _attack_ humans. I told you this when you were a girl. Demons make contracts. The only way they can attack beings so much weaker than themselves is if they were ordered to. Otherwise it upsets the balance of nature."

Sakura froze at her father's implications. "You are saying that someone _ordered_ the attack by the nine-tails."

Kizashi remained silent, and that in itself was telling. She slumped onto the couch.

"Do you know why?"

Her father shook his head, but Sakura had an uneasy feeling that he had suspicions. And clearly someone knew he was doubtful if they were breaking into his office.

"But what do they want from the office?"

"Two years ago someone stole a summoning scroll," Kizashi replied.

Sakura bit her lip, as a memory tugged at her. She had just come home from the chunin exams. She was expecting her father to be excited, but instead he had said, _'one of my summoning scrolls is missing.'_

"What exactly _is_ a summoning scroll?" she questioned.

"Exactly what it sounds like. A scroll that helps set up a contract with a demon. Only this scroll was for a specific demon."

"A specific demon?"

Her father nodded, and started shuffling papers on his desk, "Akasuna no Sasori."

A chill rolled down her spine as her father uttered a name that she hadn't spoken aloud for _years_.

 _couldn't be..._

Green eyes watched in trepidation as he finally lifted up a weathered page with a painting on it. In the picture there was a tall male, with deep red hair and crimson, otherworldly eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed at the acrylic version of Sasori.

"I'm not sure exactly why anyone would want to take it, as I had already examined the scroll and the seals were broken. There were rumours that the demon had gotten himself trapped into a mirror. But I just had to be sure…" Kizashi said, rolling the painting back up.

Sakura felt sick. "Trapped in a mirror?"

Her father hummed as he rooted through his desk, "Yes, legend goes that he made a deal with a Kazekage's wife and when he went to collect, she tricked him and he became trapped in a mirror. I searched mirrors all over Fire and Wind country. I even brought some home to study. But I never found anything."

This was her moment. Her moment to break the silence and tell the truth. "Father," she said, hating the how thick her voice sounded.

Kizashi stopped his search and locked eyes with his daughter. Her face was pale.

"The hand mirror in my bedroom. It has Saso-"

A loud knocking on the front door of the house startled the pair. Sakura's heart jumped at the noise. Grabbing a kunai, she quickly slipped out of the study and down the stairs. Peering out of the window, she noticed a young genin standing at the door. A big part of her wanted to be relieved at his obviously young stature, but looks were deceiving.

Opening the door, she hid the kunai behind her back, "Yes?"

The boy had sandy blonde hair, and smiled brightly at her, "I have a mission scroll from the Hokage's office. She said that the scroll is a formality and you need to…" the boy's cheeks tinted red, "get your scrawny behind down there immediately."

Sakura nodded. She desperately wanted to run back upstairs and warn her father about the demon in the mirror, but the boy was not moving from her doorstep and she couldn't afford his ears overhearing anything. Clearly Tsunade had sent him as more of an escort than a messenger and experience told her that the boy was probably ordered to follow until she was _in_ the Hokage's office.

"Alright," she said, casting a worried look behind her before closing the door. Ripping open the mission scroll, she darted down her laneway, genin boy following her like a puppy.

She internally cursed as she read over the contents. This had to be some divine form of punishment after her morning.

Slipping into the Hokage's office, she found Kakashi and Naruto already waiting.

"You read the scroll?" Tsunade questioned, before throwing back a cup of what Sakura already knew was sake.

She exhaled, and prayed that her assumptions were wrong, "All it had was one sentence. _'We have news on the Uchiha'._ I don't know why the genin told me it was a mission scroll."

"I am going to find him," Naruto answered, his blue eyes blazed with determination as they met hers. "I'll need some help though…"

She bit down on her tongue.

"I have already offered to go with him," Kakashi added.

"They need a third and considering how dangerous Sound is, I won't send them without a medic," Tsunade said, implication clear.

She wanted to scream as three different pairs of eyes watched her for her answer.

"If you agree, than I will consider this your jounin exam," Tsunade said, holding a familiar piece of paper- _her application_. "We need the Uchiha back in the village. You know how the elders have been on my case. Bring him back and you're promoted."

And really nothing else could guarantee her agreement like that. She wasn't sure she truly had a choice anyways…

"I'm in."

Naruto's face broke into a wide smile. Sakura knew it was because he was viewing this as a reunion mission. He probably thought her mind could be changed about Team Seven.

Kakashi by contrast did not have any outward reaction and Sakura was more than fine with that.

"You leave tomorrow at dawn. Meet at the gates," Tsunade ordered, before refilling her glass. "Dismissed."

She was out the door as the last syllable fell from Tsunade's lips.

"Sakura-chan, wait, _Sakura-chan-_ " Naruto called, jogging to catch up with her.

Her steps didn't falter as she reached the street. But a strong hand gripping her arm did.

"Sakura-chan-"

"-I don't have time, Naruto. I need to go home and make sure my father is okay," she said shaking off his grip.

"Is he sick?"

"Something like that," she grumbled before jogging off. Health wise he was fine, but an otherworldly ailment was plaguing his daughter's bedroom and Sakura knew that he would be in a right state after finding out.

"Do you need help? Are you angry with me?" Naruto questioned, running beside her.

She skidded to a stop, "I'm not angry with you, I am angry at the situation. A lot of things changed when you left the village."

"Yeah Kakashi mentioned that," Naruto said, eyes never wavering from hers.

"I'm surprised he had much to say about me," Sakura scoffed, "Look, why don't we talk about this tomorrow when we leave. Right now, I really do have to check on my dad."

Naruto gazed at her for another moment, before nodding. "I'll hold you too that Sakura-chan."

Sakura sighed- she had no intention of hashing her grievings out in front of Kakashi. She shook her head as she continued back home. She needed to focus.

Running up the lane way, she abruptly stopped. Her father had said that there had been people _watching_ the house. Two years ago someone had stolen a scroll. That meant that they had been under surveillance for quite some time. Scanning the area, nothing seemed amiss- except for the same little black bird. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura shot a senbon needle at it and watched incredulously at the bird disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 _Summons._

Heart hammering in her chest, she entered the house, "Father?"

No response.

Running upstairs, she reached the study. Grabbing the doorknob, she twisted, but the door remained locked. Eying the door, she remembered the seals. Whatever they were, they weren't letting her in. She couldn't sense any chakra behind the door- but than again, dead bodies didn't have chakra. Her father's corpse could be lying in there… She did a quick scan using one of her medical ninjutsus used for cadavers, and still found nothing… He wasn't in the study.

Continuing upstairs, she flung open her bedroom door. Her green eyes automatically darted to the dresser. A relieved breath whooshed out of her lungs as she spotted the silver hand mirror sitting in the exact place it always sat. Approaching the object, her eyes took in the layer of dust that coated it. It hadn't been touched. _Good._

But… where was her father?

She ran an agitated hand through her hair before moving over to her bed. And before she could flop down on the mattress, Sakura spotted a little white note sitting on her pillow.

' _Called on a mission. – Dad'_

She exhaled slowly, relief filling her system. He wasn't dead or kidnapped.

Still, the thought that someone had been watching their house for _years_ was unsettling. So she spent the rest of the afternoon laying genjutsu traps around the property. She could only hope that whoever was assigned to their surveillance was not proficient in the art.

Paranoid thoughts tangled in her mind as she set traps that would only recognize her or her father's chakra. Not only the question of _who_ was spying on them ran through her mind, but also _what did they know?_ It was nerve-wracking enough to know that the most likely spy candidates were shinobi from her own village. Did that make them the traitors or her and her father?

Finishing the last trap, Sakura glanced out her bedroom window to see the sun dipping below the tree line. It was late and she hadn't even packed her bag. Her lips fell into a frown- she had no idea how long her retrieval mission would be.

Unenthusiastic hands packed her travel bag before she slumped on her bed.

She didn't want to go. She didn't want to see Sasuke reject them. She didn't want to watch Naruto's face fall if he did. She didn't want Kakashi's probing stares. She didn't want all of her accomplishments to crumble in front of Team Seven, along with her self-esteem.

Green eyes closed and sleep washed over her.

 _She was lying naked on her stomach atop plush feathered cushions. Something heady like smoke mixed with spice tickled at her nose and she inhaled deeply to catch more of it. Large warm hands were kneading the tight muscles on her back._

" _You're tense." His voice was a midnight whisper._

 _Sakura groaned as he worked on a particularly troublesome knot nestled in between her shoulder blades._

" _I have a lot going on right now. It feels like just when I had my life in order, everything started falling apart," she revealed._

" _Oh?"_

" _Part of my original team wants back in my life. I'm scared to let them. I'm scared that they will only see me as I was, not how I am now."_

" _Than show them," he breathed, the words leaving a cool caress against her neck._

 _Goosebumps tiptoed along the skin of her shoulders._

" _And that's not all. People are spying on my house; looking for a demon-" the hands paused their massage for a fleeting moment before continuing. "I'm worried about my father. Worried about who these nin are and what they want."_

" _I could help you, you know," he whispered, soft and dark against the shell of her ear._

 _Sakura sighed, "How could you help? You're not even real."_

" _Does this feel real?" he questioned, and she could hear the frustration in his tone. Her attention quickly wavered as the pads of his fingers brushed against each vertebrae of her spine, until he gripped her hips._

 _He continued, "It's a simple favour. All you have to do is ask, and I can get rid of those people plaguing you."_

 _She turned her head, but once again was only met with a shadowed face. "Who are you?"_

 _Red eyes glowed from the shadowed face, "You already know."_

Green eyes shot open at the trilling of her alarm clock. She grumbled for a moment, before rolling out of bed and meandering to the shower. It was still dark outside and her body was very much protesting at being awake. But she had to meet Naruto and Kakashi at the gates.

Trying not to snooze in the shower, she turned the water to cold and hastily washed her body before towelling off and slipping on slim back pants and a black turtle- neck. Grabbing her weapons pouch and travel pack, she was out the door.

Her eyes discreetly scanned the perimeter of her house as she left. Nothing seemed out of sorts, but her senses were still on high alert. Her dream kept tugging at her mind, and Sakura tried to piece it back together as she walked to the gates.

Try as she might, her subconscious evaded her.

"Sakura-chan!" a jubilant voice called.

She turned to see Naruto running over, a cup of instant ramen in his hand. Kakashi for once seemed to be on time as he trailed behind the blonde.

"You ready?" Naruto asked, whiskered face grinning.

She smiled, "Of course."

Another thing Naruto would have to discover about her was that she was an _excellent_ liar.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **I have a feeling that some of you are frustrated by the lack of Sasori, but don't worry he is coming. I think a lot of you are going to be excited for the next chapter!**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Some of you left ideas/guesses that I hadn't even considered! It's so interesting seeing how other people interpret work. Also, several people commented that they like having warnings, so I will be keeping them around.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think!**


	10. Shatter

_Warning: Violence/language_

 **Chapter 10: Shatter**

" _We need to sit on the rim_

 _of the well of darkness_

 _and fish for fallen light_

 _with patience."_

 _-Pablo Neruda_

Dew sank into her sandals with every step she took. And even though the sun had peeked over the lush trees, its rays did not chase away the bitter sting of the wind. It looked like it was going to be a lovely day, which completely contrasted Sakura's inner gloom.

Naruto was bounding around the forest, completely immune to his less than enthusiastic companions. He supplied a never- ending stream of chatter about what he had been up to while travelling with 'the pervy sage'. And while Sakura was genuinely interested in Naruto's stories and glad to hear that his training had gone well, she couldn't dispel the discomfort at being alone with him and Kakashi. She felt like the ghost of Sasuke's footsteps were trailing behind them…

Kakashi seemed to be of the same mind as he wandered behind her and Naruto. His only addition to the conversation was intoned humming at Naruto's epic narrations.

"So what cool jutsus did Kaka-sensei teach you Sakura-chan?"

She could sense Kakashi stiffen from behind her and was so very curious about what expression would be hiding under that mask.

"Kakashi and I didn't train together when you were gone."

Naruto paused in his step the moment she uttered the grey haired nin's name without the customary 'sensei' on the end.

"What? Why not?" he asked, voice incredulous. He made the question sound ludicrous, which only highlighted how little he truly noticed about Kakashi's training during their Team Seven days.

Sakura remained silent. She knew the answer. Kakashi never saw any worth in training her. A small desperate part of her wanted to hear him _say_ it. Hear him explain how much of a disappointment _he_ was in being a teacher, not her as a student.

"I neglected Sakura," Kakashi said.

Both her and Naruto froze at the simple, but impactful statement.

Naruto's brows furrowed as if he couldn't quite understand what was being said. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi's shoulders slumped forward and Sakura felt like a million different emotions were at war within her.

"After you and Sasuke left, I requested to be reinstated in ANBU. Sakura was left to find her own sensei." He said it so casually that she was tempted to sucker punch him in his stupid masked face. But his lone dark eye remained fixed on her and it felt like he was trying to say a million things without uttering a word.

" _Why_?" Naruto asked, uttering the question she didn't know if she wanted to hear the answer to.

Kakashi shrugged, "I felt like a failure as a team leader. One of the most promising genin in the village left of his own free will with one of Konoha's deadliest enemies. I didn't think I was fit to lead anyone- let alone a little girl."

"But you kept telling us about how important being a _team_ was! And you just left her on her own? No wonder Sakura-chan is so different now! No wonder she doesn't want to get Sasuke!" Naruto rambled, his voice growing louder and slightly more hysterical with each word.

Sakura felt as though a vice had clamped down on her lungs as she listened. She didn't think she was capable of speech and wasn't all together sure what sorts of words would fly out if she opened her mouth. Knowing Kakashi's reasons had not made her feel any better, or worse- just chaotically numb. Hearing Naruto comment on how she had changed should have brought her joy- she worked hard to bring about that change. And yet he said it as if this new and improved her was not such a good thing after all…

"I made a mistake," Kakashi finally said.

"But-"

"-Naruto, leave it," Sakura stated, voice firm. "If you want to get Sasuke back, we have a lot of ground to cover. Let's just keep moving."

Naruto shot her a peeved look and she could tell that the blonde had felt as though he was helping her. And in a sweet and completely obstructive way he was.

They ran for half a day until they reached the boarders of Fire Country. The short break that Kakashi allowed them consisted of tense silence. For once, Naruto sat in stony silence, methodically clenching and unclenching his fists as he stared blankly into the tree line. Sakura had never felt more grateful for Kakashi's signal that they keep moving.

Long after the sun had dipped passed the disappearing forest and the moon shone is waxing beams, did the three former Team Seven members take their rest for the night. They stationed themselves at a rocky cove near a slim creek.

"You two keep alert, I'm going to set up some traps," Kakashi announced once they had settled.

Naruto nodded and Kakashi disappeared into the night like a ghost.

Sakura felt a strange concoction of guilt and concern sink down her stomach as she looked at the blonde. Naruto's jaw was hard and he wouldn't meet her eye.

"Are you mad at me?" she finally asked, hating the timid note in her voice.

Naruto's head snapped over to her and Sakura once again marvelled at how mature his features had become. She watched as his frown became more pronounced as he looked her over.

He sighed, "No, I'm not mad at you. It's just… nothing is like I expected it to be."

"The ramen stand is exactly like how you left it."

She felt triumphant when his lip finally started to tip upwards in the faintest curl.

"That's not what I meant," he said grinning for a moment before it started to slip again, " _You've_ changed."

Sakura sighed, "People change; that's the one constant in life. I'm sure you're not the same as you were five years ago."

Naruto picked at his nail and she knew it was only an effort to avoid her eye.

"You're so beautiful Sakura-chan, and you've always been pretty, but now you look… I dunno, like a _woman_. And you're quiet and kind of cold and you smell- _Kami,_ you smell amazing! But your scent is sweet and dark and _off limits_." Confusion etched itself on her face as Naruto ranted, "You just don't seem anything like my old teammate anymore," he quietly finished.

She hunched in on herself, "Do you remember our mission to Waves?"

It was pitch black, but she could still see his blue eyes sparkle, "Of course."

"I still hadn't decided what kind of shinobi I would be- a scroll or a fighter. I was so infatuated with Sasuke that I didn't want him to think of me as anything but a lady. I hadn't even considered that maybe all he wanted was a decent teammate."

"I don't think the bastard wanted _any_ kind of connections," Naruto said, and she could hear the frustration and hint of longing in his voice. She knew he just wanted his best friend back.

"After the chakra-walking exercises I was in the bathroom and you and Sasuke were arguing outside the door," she said, memory playing through her mind. "You were telling Sasuke off for being mean to me and he said something- something that has always stuck with me. He called me dead weight."

She could feel Naruto's unnatural stillness as if he was waiting for her to start crying. The Sakura he left would have.

"It was in that moment that I realized how stupid I was being. A little girl playing shinobi. I wanted to be stronger- someone who could stand beside you two, not just behind."

Naruto hummed, "That's when you started training more."

She nodded in the dark, "And then I lost my spar with Ino and I felt like my world fell apart. I thought you and Sasuke would leave me behind…"

The weight of Naruto's silence was crushing. She knew what he was thinking. They still had left her behind.

"After you guys left, Kakashi was gone and I was angry. I had no one to train me."

"So Granny started training you…" his voice was a sad whisper.

Sakura smiled, "It was good for me. _She_ was good for me."

"I'm glad," Naruto said voice soft. "But Sakura-chan, how did you learn high level genjutsu like the one you used on Kakashi?"

She froze for a moment, wondering if their former sensei had told Naruto what exactly she had done to him.

"I taught it to myself. Mixed medical ninjutsu with genjutsu. I wanted to create a technique just for myself."

" _How?"_

She bit her lip and forced a laugh, hoping Naruto wouldn't pick up on her nervousness, "A girl's got to have some secrets you know…"

And secrets she had. She was drowning in them. Naruto's responding laugh should have made her feel better, but it didn't. He still sounded so innocent- even if the baritone of his voice had changed, the guileless tone hadn't.

How could she tell Naruto that in the five years he had been gone her kill count was now well into the double digits? She had never been sent to assassinate someone, but circumstances of the job had led her down paths where her palms ran red. How could she tell Naruto that she liked genjutsu because she _liked_ the feeling of holding power over someone else's mind? How could she tell him that her body had been touched by herself and others? How could she tell him about the men watching her house because of the demon that lived inside of him and the other demon that lived with _her?_

Naruto would have been honest with her- but she had been taught to covet damning information and hold it close to her chest. She was not a guileless man, but a beguiling woman. That was a part of her that had never changed, but she had never shared in the first place.

Both their heads snapped over when Kakashi stepped back into the clearing.

"We should be safe for the night," he said, but neither Naruto nor Sakura relaxed their stance.

A part of her felt guilty that Naruto was obviously angry with the older man on her behalf.

A tense atmosphere hung above their camp until Kakashi set up a watch schedule and ordered Naruto to take first watch, with her as second and himself as last.

In the midnight hours when Naruto woke her with a gentle nudge, she felt weariness cling to her eyelids. This entire mission was draining for reasons she didn't want to think about, but couldn't help her mind from dwelling on. Being around them- Kakashi, Naruto… heading towards Sasuke. It all felt so sudden. Thoughts ran in circles around her mind as she stared off into the darkness while her companions slept.

Hours into her watch, her eyes flickered towards one of the tents. Kakashi's masked face emerged. Her shift had ended. She wordlessly got up and made her way to the vacant tent. Kakashi's grip on her arm stopped her. Her heartbeat picked up- what did he want?

"Sakura-"

"-Whatever it is, it can wait," she said, trying to shrug his hand off.

His grip remained tight, "It _can't_ wait."

She sighed and slumped back down on the rock. This was one conversation that she had pictured having a million times in her mind. And now that it was actually happening, her exhausted nerves were wearing thin.

Kakashi cautiously lowered himself down across from her and silently stared. Her hand itched to give him a quick smack to hurry things along, but Kakashi was ever the tardy one. Still, after a prolonged silence she arched a pale eyebrow.

"Naruto is right you know, you have changed," he spoke lowly.

Her spine automatically stiffened.

"I saw glimpses of it here and there, but nothing highlighted the fact more than yesterday's spar."

"You want an apology?" her words were smooth, but her eyes were biting.

Kakashi just sighed and combed his hand through unruly silver hair. "I don't- I don't know what to do when it comes to you. I never have. I thought that leaving you was in your _best_ interest. I knew it would hurt you, but here you are now… _stronger_. Stronger than anything I could have shaped you into."

"A five minute explanation of why you were leaving me on my own would have also worked. Do you have any idea how terrible it felt to rush to the Hokage's office afraid you were missing, only to be told that your team was disbanded? How _worthless_ I felt knowing that once your favourite students were gone, you gave up on me," she hissed.

"That's not-"

"-I know! _Now_ I know. But back then, I didn't."

"I'm sorry."

His words were sudden and blunt and his eye looked honest. And every vitriol thing she wanted to spit at him died on her tongue. Because what could she do with his apology? Being angry with Kakashi had been second nature for so long now. It was a truth that governed her own little universe- the sky was blue, the grass was green, Kakashi was an asshole…

"What are you expecting me to say?" she finally replied, tired of feeling his eye studying her.

"I don't know what to expect from you anymore," he said, voice earnest.

"Than what are you expecting to happen on this mission?"

"I'm expecting us to retrieve Sasuke."

"And then what? We all run off into the sunset, Team Seven reunited once again…" she said, disdain dripping from her words.

"And then we take it one day at a time. That's all we can do," he said and Sakura could tell from his tone that he was frowning.

She sighed, "I need sleep."

"Get some rest," he said, and before she could make it into her tent, Kakashi uttered a quiet, "thank you for listening Sakura."

She exhaled loudly before slipping into her sleeping bag. With Naruto and Kakashi's words floating around in her head, sleep didn't come easy that night.

….

The morning came too early and Sakura could still feel exhaustion sitting in her bones.

"So what's the plan?" Naruto asked once they were all up and eating breakfast.

"The base is covered in such intricate genjutsu that it is nearly be impossible to find, however, Orochimaru has been notorious for human experiments. One of our spies has claimed that he has shinobi raid the local villages for people to conduct his tests on. One of us is going to pose as a civilian in the closest village and wait for the raid. The other two are going to track them into base. Once we are in the base, Naruto, you are going to track down Sasuke. Sakura, I want you to grab as many files as you can. And I am going to see what I can do about the snake."

"Okay," Naruto said through his mouth full of noodles.

"Who is going to pose as the civilian?" Sakura asked.

"I thought Naruto could use a shadow clone."

Naruto swallowed and set down his cup, "I'm not sure it would work. I can make a bunch of clones, but I've never been able to henge them."

Kakashi sighed, "Alright, Sakura, you get to the be bait then."

She nodded sharply and listened as Kakashi added more details about Sound.

Then they were off again. They ran for hours, until the scenery changed from grey stones, to foggy marshes and then finally to barren lands. When they reached a small village, Sakura henged her hair from blush pink to white blonde and eyes from green to blue. She cursed the fact that Kakashi had not informed them of the details prior to leaving, as she had no civilian clothing in her pack. She would have to steal some.

With one last parting nod from Kakashi and grin from Naruto, she slinked off into the village. She did a quick perimeter check before slipping through the bedroom window of a civilian house. Rummaging through a dresser, she grabbed a heap of red. The clothes, she noted, would be a little big, but a thief couldn't be picky. She hastily changed into the red dress before shoving her nin clothes in her pack.

Sakura's eyes caught on the mirror as she turned to leave the same way she came. Even though her hair and eye colour were different, the image was familiar. Her standing in a red dress, chasing after Sasuke… a frown tugged her lips down before she dropped back out of the window.

She was careful to skirt around the outer layers of the small town. She didn't want the original owner of the dress to recognize it. And she needed the perfect person to execute her plan. Her eyes lit up when she came upon the small thatch of farmland. _Perfect_.

Circling around the land, she noticed a young man, about her age, maybe a little older tending to a small vegetable garden out front. _Even better._ She carefully probed the area for chakra and when nothing seemed amiss, she quietly stepped into sight, along the dirt road. She had to make a conscious drag her feet a bit as she approached.

The man's head shot up and Sakura could see blue eyes shining from his sun- browned skin. She made sure to duck her head shyly as she approached.

"Can I help you ma'am?" the man asked, straightening his posture.

He was tall with broad shoulders and curly brown hair. And had she actually been a civilian girl from this village, he would have been her girlish crush instead of Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura shot him a nervous smile. "Hi," she said, shifting her weight, "I just arrived and I'm looking for an inn to stay at for the night," she locked her eyes on his before fluttering them back to the ground. "Would you happen to know a inexpensive place in town?"

She watched from under her lashes as the farmer frowned, "You're travelling all alone?"

She hesitantly nodded, "My sister is having a baby soon. I'm heading north to meet her so I can help."

She watched as he fell for her carefully constructed lie with ease.

"It's awfully dangerous for a woman to be travelling alone," he said, eying her with blatant worry.

Sakura clasped her hands together, "I know- I've heard horrid stories from the locals south of here. But my journey is only two days, and my sister is expected to have a difficult birth. So… do you know a place where I could stay?"

"Well, I don't like the thought of you staying alone at an inn. You never know what types of people could be staying there with you. Some shady characters have been sniffing around lately. I suppose you could stay here… if you want. It would be safe," he hastily added.

Sakura flushed demurely, "I wouldn't want to put you out."

"Oh- its no problem at all," he smiled.

His smile was genuine- no hint of sinister motives. He was either a _very_ good liar, or simply a nice person. She was betting on the latter.

"Won't your wife mind…?" she continued, purposely letting her voice trail off.

His smile displayed a full set of white teeth, with one incisor endearingly chipped. "I'm not married. It's just me and my parents. But they made their way to the market the next village over just this morning."

"Oh," she said dropping her eyes once again.

"Really, it's okay- you'd be safe with me," he assured.

She smiled, "Al-alright, thank you sir."

"My name's Hitori," he said, reaching for her bag.

Sakura fought to unclench her grip as her bag with all of her weapons left her hand, "I'm Yamanka Saya."

She internally smirked- with blonde hair and blue eyes she certainly looked the part. And thankfully the Yamanaka clan was small enough that they were not well known outside of the shinobi villages, especially not this far.

Sakura spent the evening helping Hitori with dinner and engaging in idle chatter. He was a kind man who was worried about his village and especially his crops. Someone had been raiding neighbourhood farms. Sakura was entirely sure that it was shinobi from the Sound base. They needed to feed their prisoners somehow.

And as she sat across the table from him after finishing dinner, an odd thought flittered through her brain. If she were a civilian girl, this might be how her evenings were spent. Simple, uncomplicated, and with a nice man whose blue eyes looked entirely charmed as they gazed upon her. This must have been the life Kakashi had in mind for her. It wasn't bad- but she knew herself and knew that a life like this would never be enough. She would always want _more_.

Still, gazing into Hitori's handsome face, she was grateful for his generosity. And if she wasn't so afraid that the horrid feeling she felt with Ken might resurface, she would have thanked him in a distinctly more sensual way. Instead, she prepared them tea, slipping a little something extra into his cup and smiled daintily as he chatted, speech becoming more slurred with every word. And when his head dropped into his arms, mind lost to unconsciousness, she silently rose from her chair. She lifted the man to his bedroom, undressed him and tucked him carefully into bed. And as the night grew ever darker, Sakura layered intricate genjutsu over his bedroom. No one would ever know he was there. It was the only way she could thank him for his kindness.

Lying down in her borrowed bed, she waited. She knew they would come tonight. She had sensed the presence of scouting nin before had she even entered the village. And like Hitori had said, they targeted farms. Sakura was almost positive that even if they had known Hitori was home, they wouldn't take him- they needed someone to tend to crops. But a sweet farmer's wife- she would be _perfect_ prey.

Around two am, she felt the undisguised chakra signatures of at least three shinobi. She inhaled deeply before relaxing her limbs and evening her breath. It wasn't long before she felt a cold clammy hand cover her mouth. False blue eyes flew open and Sakura clumsily failed about in bed before the nin gripped her wrist. She felt pain rush down where the hand was bruising and hot tears dripped from her eyes onto her captor's hand.

"Get up," the woman hissed.

" _Please,"_ she whimpered once the hand was removed from her lips. "My husband is in town for the night, but we have a little money- or some vegetables! I will get you whatever you need!"

The woman backhanded her so forcefully, that Sakura could feel her lip split. She let her limbs loosen and feigned unconsciousness. A man picked her up. It was difficult, she thought, to force back battle-hardened instincts while literally in the arms of the enemy. But she did so of with precision. Minutes that felt like hours passed before she was chucked into a wagon full of civilians in similar states of distress. And then hours crept by as they were transported. She only hoped that Naruto and Kakashi were able to trace her easily enough.

She watched through specs of feathered lashes as one of the shinobi altered the genjutsu as they passed through the barrier. Her eyes nearly widened in trepidation at what she was seeing. It was an old stone outpost that sank into the earth. They were heading _underground._ Which would make the entire mission ten times trickier.

When they reached a cramped holding cell that already housed too many people, Sakura felt her body be pushed off the cart. She landed into a pile of bony elbows and jutting knees. Twenty minutes passed by before the shinobi escorts left their post, locking the door behind them. She was on her knees and performing a simple genjutsu after the door clicked. Regret clung to her as she made her illusion so that she would remain unnoticeable. She couldn't have a stampede trailing after her as she slipped out the door. So it was with a great deal of shame that she left the cell full of unlucky civilians behind.

She slipped down the hallway silently. If the civilians were kept in the holding cell than there was no doubt that the lab would be kept close by. And labs meant notes. Her head snapped to the left as she heard the loud bang of an explosion go off further down the base. A smile caught her lips- that was undoubtedly Naruto. She hastened her pace; if the boy's big show down was already happening than she wouldn't have much time.

Reaching the first room down the hall, Sakura slipped in the doorway and skidded to a halt. She had found the lab, but unfortunately it was occupied. And she recognized the gray haired man standing within it. _Kabuto_. His palms immediately glowed blue.

"Now _who_ are you darling? You can't possibly be a civilian…" he said, voice sing songy as he approached her.

She let the thought of keeping her civilian ruse enter her mind before discarding it. There was no point in lying now.

"I was just taking a stroll when I ended up here," she replied, coy smile gracing her lips, as she matched his circling steps. She let her henge drop, knowing she needed to conserve her chakra.

Kabuto's eyes widened behind his glasses, "Well, well, Team Seven, ever the sentimentalists. We didn't kidnap him you know- he is here on his own free will."

"I know, I'm not here for _him_ ," she said, before lunging at the man.

Kabuto dodged her kunai with practice ease and sent a senbon needle sailing at her with deadly accuracy. She was forced to move a step closer to his blue palms. She launched a shuriken at him, smirking as he missed the weapon, but got caught in the exploding tag that was attached to it. Smoke billowed in the room and Sakura started on her hand signs.

Glowing blue palms reached through the smoke and his chakra scalpel attacked a womanly torso, ripping through abdominal muscles and downwards until intestines spilled out. A feminine cry of pain left a haunting melody. Hot breath fanned over a pale jugular and his palm cupped entrails as if they were a newborn child.

"Really, I expected more from Tsunade-sama's apprentice," he chided softly.

A pained groan escaped, and she slipped to her knees.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed as his hand followed her movement, leaving bloody fingerprints to trail up her torso and finally resting on her neck. He grit his teeth for a moment before growling, "Kai!"

Sakura inwardly cursed as she shoved another pile of notes in a bag before turning to face the nin who escaped her illusion.

She ducked as another senbon whistled near her head. Spinning out of reach, she let her fingers glow green.

He eyed her apprehensively where he stood, and she knew she needed to close the distance. He would be too wary for genjutsu to work now. Grabbing a nearby microscope, she threw it at the nin and quickly ran towards him as he began to duck. He whirled away from her glowing green fist, but turned into her sharp kick. It didn't take enhanced strength for her foot to toss him into the stone wall with a shuddering thud. She was on him in an instant. When he stepped away from the wall, she flicked her finger into his temple, and watched as bits of skull and brain matter painted the rock behind him.

She exhaled shakily and wiped her wet fingers down her red dress before grabbing the bag and another case of notes.

Sakura whirled around, fist glowing green as another poof of smoke entered the room. A small pug greeted her.

"Boss said its time to rendezvous. You remember the meeting spot?" Pakun said.

She nodded and watched as the little dog disappeared, before slipping out of the room and down the hall. Her foot caught as she stood outside of the holding cell. Green eyes warily gazed at the lock, before her fist slammed down on it, and the door flew open. There. She did it. Her guilty mind could feel better knowing that she at least gave the civilians a chance to escape.

Running down the halls, Sakura could feel the entire base shake; the foundation of the stones cracking above and below her. She picked up the pace as she swerved towards the exit. And finally when she ran into the night, she felt her relief hit her system. She knew she wasn't out of danger yet, but at least she was out of that Kami-forsaken base.

She spent ten more minutes running in a circle in case anyone followed her before she made her way to the rendezvous point. Three men were already waiting for her.

Sakura's footsteps slowed as her eyes caught on Sasuke. His head was bent as he lowly conversed with Naruto. Green eyes took in his tall form and pale skin littered with cuts and bruises. His white shirt was torn and bloody, while his pants had a large rip in the knee. A katana rested on his hip. He looked lethal and _handsome._ She had never hated him more.

"You're back, are you injured?" Kakashi said, walking over.

Naruto and Sasuke's heads both whirled around to look at her.

She shook her head, answering Kakashi's question.

"That's who you're third is? _Sakura_?" Sasuke said, disbelief colouring his tone.

She wanted to scowl at him and maybe shove a chakra- laden foot up his ass. Instead she let her features go blank before handing Kakashi the bag stuffed with notes from the lab.

He quickly peaked in before his eye crinkled up at her in what she knew was a smile. "Looks good. We need to head out and cover more ground. Sasuke may have killed Orochimaru, but we don't want any Sound shinobi following us."

They set off on run that was downright punishing in pace. She kept up with no complaints, but could feel her leg muscles burning. She wouldn't whine. Not in front of all three of them. She would die before letting them think she was weak.

Three hours later, they were well out of Sound and into Waterfall when Kakashi called for a break. She had to stop herself from flopping to the ground in an exhausted heap.

"Sakura, I have your pack from earlier," Kakashi said, handing her a familiar bag.

She wordlessly took it and walked farther into the outcropping of rocks.

"Where are you going?" Naruto's alarmed voice asked.

She turned her head and saw both him and Sasuke watching her, blue and red gazes bright.

"I'm going to wash up before changing into my regular clothes."

She watched Sasuke's brow furrow.

"Perhaps you should wait until we are in Fire before having a bath," Kakashi lightly suggested.

She turned her cold green eyes on him, "I have dried brain matter sticking to my neck. I'm simply going to wash it off and then change."

She heard Naruto choke on the water he was guzzling from his canteen, but ignored it as she strolled away from the camp and to a nearby stream. The water felt nice and cool against her overheated skin, and she scrubbed the sticky bodily fluids off her neck and chin. Slipping her turtle neck and black pants on, she was back to the camp within three minutes.

"But how do you know that Itachi was _ordered_ to kill them?" Sasuke was hissing at Naruto.

"I've seen the files. And Jiraiya filled me in on how your brother has been spying _for_ Konoha. I'm telling you bastard, Itachi may have killed the clan, but not because he _wanted_ to."

Sakura wordlessly sat down. So that was how Naruto convinced Sasuke to come back... Lure him with information about his brother. It was an admittedly brilliant tactic. But Naruto was never one for subterfuge, so there was a great chance he was telling the truth.

She bit her lip as she mulled over the new information. Clearly her team was as full of as many secrets as she was.

She listened as Naruto filled an equally silent Sasuke in on what he found out about the council's orders. And then noted the change in Naruto's voice as he talked about how much the village had changed since he returned. She could feel Sasuke's eyes flicker to her every so often, but her face remained stony and her own gaze never strayed towards the pair.

Kakashi handed out the sleeping bags, but was too paranoid to set up tents. She crawled in hers knowing that sleep would not come to her. She was exhausted- her chakra was waning, her muscles felt like mush, but her instincts were on fire. A missing-nin traitor was five feet away from her and she was expected to sleep? _How_ did Naruto do it? How did he just erase animosity? Or did her truly never harbour any distrust for Sasuke after everything he did?

She lay in her sleeping bag stiff as a board, eyes burning with effort not to close- especially with the soft snoring Naruto was making, soothing her adrenalin.

"I know you're awake," Sasuke softly whispered.

She could see his eyes on her from her peripherals. Her muscles locked up even more.

"I thought you'd be overjoyed having me here," his words were taunting, but with an edge of confusion.

"Shut the fuck up," she whispered back, voice sugary.

And he did.

Three hours later she watched as Kakashi shook Naruto awake, before signalling her and Sasuke to get up. She knew dark circles were clinging to her eyes as she strapped on her weapons pouch.

They took off running through the pre-dawn morning. It was twilight before they made it to Konoha's gates. Sakura hadn't spoken a word. Green eyes watched as ANBU descended upon Sasuke, while Naruto yelled in outrage.

"Go home and rest. You can report to Hokage Tower tomorrow," Kakashi quickly said, before stepping into the mess of masked people surrounding her former genin teammates.

Her feet dragged as they walked up her laneway. The moon was beginning to beam down on the windows of her bedroom. Opening the front door, Sakura paused. Green eyes traced a bloodstain that was smeared against the banister. Her body wept as adrenalin once again rushed through her system, making her heart race to an erratic beat.

She suppressed her chakra in an instant, and silently slipped up the stairs. The door to her father's study was closed, but a chunk of the wood was missing- almost as if it had been torn off. Creeping up the stairs, she pushed the door to her bedroom open.

A dark clad man was rooting through her nightstand drawers. His face snapped over to her when she stepped in the bedroom and horror slid down her spine as she was met with a porcelain bird mask. She threw herself out of the way as a kunai bit into the spot her head vacated. She tried to summon chakra to her fingertips, but she felt it splutter in protest. It was too low for fighting.

Sakura screamed as she felt another kunai slice through the material on the side of her shirt, biting into the soft skin covering her ribs. She slammed her elbow back into the masked face, the vibrations wobbling her arm. The man fell, but was already getting back to his feet.

In desperation, she lunged for her dresser fingers brushing over the hand mirror, just as the nin tackled her from behind. Her chin smashed against the ground as the man's knees bit into her bleeding side. The sound of glass shattering still managed to make it through her senses.

" _Sasori- help me!"_ she cried.

Smoke curled out of the glass shards and Sakura could feel the nin atop her freeze. Her green eyes looked up to see the smoke form into the shape of a person. Red eyes glowed through the curling tendrils of darkness, until the smoke fully cleared and she could see the rest of his familiar features now attached to a solid body.

His lips curled into a feral smirk, before Sakura's bedroom was painted in red.

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was a bit of a doozy to write!**

 **Thank you for your feedback on the last chapter!  
I debated a lot in the chapter of making Sakura's showdown with Kabuto be epic or simple. Ultimately I feel like the Sakura I've crafted is too practical and calculating to be showy.**

 **And Sasori is out!**

 **Please leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	11. Terms and Conditions

_Warning: Violence/Light sexual content_

 **Chapter Eleven: Terms and Conditions**

 _"My life has a_

 _superb cast, but I cannot_

 _figure out the plot."_

 _\- Ashleigh Brilliant_

Time seemed to slow and in the span of a single heartbeat Sakura watched as Sasori's clawed hand swooped down with deadly intent. Her back instantly dampened as the masked nin's shredded jugular gushed into the absorbent material of her sweater.

She shuddered when the dead weight of the man slumped down on her, before the demon lazily nudged him off with a toe. Green eyes slowly traced up the length of his pale foot, to one naked leg and muscled thigh. Her eyes kept wandering up and up until they reached his familiar face. She was too shocked, _too exhausted_ to feel embarrassment at his nudity.

Sasori's eyes were bright as he stared down at her- a predatory glint shining within them. He was practically buzzing with energy. She watched as his head snapped to one end of her bedroom and his eyes skirted towards the window. Before she could blink, he had disappeared out the glass pane and into the night.

Sakura could feel her body shake as she got to all fours. Logically she knew that shock was rattling her system, but knowing didn't abate the feeling. Nausea crept up her throat. She dry heaved for a moment before her eyes drifted to the dead body lying on her floor. His blood was seeping into the porous floorboards and she knew no amount of scrubbing would truly get it out. Her hand quivered as she reached for his porcelain bird mask. Tipping the mask up, a pale, face was revealed. Green eyes gazed at the face of a stranger. His hair was brown and eyes were dark- he was completely unremarkable looking. And now he was dead.

But before she could contemplate on the mangled man further, Sasori lithely crawled back in her window like a scene from a nightmare. Sakura nearly choked when she notice what he was carrying. Two decapitated heads, still donning their porcelain masks were clutched in each of the demon's hands by their hair. Sasori glided over to her, eyes alight with wickedness as he offered the heads to her, like he was presenting some demented version of a gift.

It was at that moment that the events of the last five minutes finally caught up with her. And the only thing she thought before darkness took her was ' _he's out.'_

…

She was straddling that liminal line that blurred conscious from unconscious. Sakura inhaled deeply, smelling a familiar dark, spicy scent. She could feel the warmth of a hard male torso pressing into her naked back. She sighed as a muscular leg wedged itself between her bare thighs, while hot fingertips traced up the sensitive skin of her side.

 _Her shadowed man was here._

She could feel his nose nuzzle into her hair before cool lips wetly pressed against the slope of her shoulder. She moaned in response and arched back into him. Heat radiated from the man and Sakura's brows furrowed. Her dreams had always felt so subliminally real that her body would be reeling afterwards. But never had it felt _this_ real.

"You smell _divine_ little pet," a midnight voice crooned in her ear.

The haze of foggy pleasure abruptly evaporated when she heard the familiar nickname roll off his tongue. Sakura scrambled away as if she was on fire. Her foot got tangled in silky bed sheets and her equilibrium shifted as she landed with a hard thud on the wooden floorboards. Blinking her green eyes, the familiar sights of her bedroom greeted her.

A sickly suspicious feeling clawed at her brain as she listened to the annoyed groan come from the bed. Her heart skidded to a stop when two otherworldly eyes peered over the side of the bed.

"Fainting and falling off the bed… You're sure not impressing me much _pet_ ," Sasori lightly growled.

And before Sakura could utter an automatic defense, she found herself being wrenched back into bed. He didn't allow her a moment to settle before he was curled around her like some macabre version of a cat, purring lightly as he pressed his nose into her hair and inhaled deeply.

"You're here. You're actually here," her voice felt oddly detached.

" _Yes_ , I'm _finally_ here. I've been waiting so long," he whispered into the shell of her ear.

"This isn't a dream?" Sakura uttered, feeling a compulsory need to double check.

It didn't feel like a dream. She could feel the softness of her bed sheets against her legs; hear birds chirping their pre-dawn songs; smell a cooper tang that she knew was blood in the air. She could feel the warmth of Sasori's body radiating into her as he moulded against her naked form. His body was hot and soft, but with hard muscles, hard joints, and hard- _Kami!_ Her eyes grew wider as she could feel his erection pressed against her spine.

"No, not a dream," he agreed, teeth nipping at her earlobe. "But we are very close to re-enacting one of my favourite ones." His hips rocked against her spine.

She bit down on her lip hard and forced herself not to respond. Suspicions were now confirmed. She rolled over to face him, noting that his red eyes were nearly black with how wide his oddly shaped pupils were dilated. His mouth tilted up in a slow smirk.

"You're the man I've been dreaming about," Sakura tried to make her voice cold, but confusion only rang out.

"Mmm," he hummed, hand reaching towards her breasts. She swatted it away and watched as his smirk grew larger. "I got tired of waiting."

"Waiting? You were stuck in a mirror! How they hell did you end up my subconscious?"

"I told you, you're _bound_ to me," Sasori said, lips pulling back to show off his teeth in more of a snarl than a smile.

Her hands came up to scrub over her eyes, "What does that even mean?"

"Well when a man and a woman-"

She shot him a filthy look, "You're not a _man_."

He shrugged in an infuriating casual manner, "Semantics…"

"For _once,_ can you please just tell me straight, what's going on?"

His mouth fell into a flat line and eyes became serious, "When you signed your name in blood onto that infuriating mirror, we became bound. A binding is a way for a demon to make sure that a human will enter a contract with them," his hands slithered their way down to her hips and gripped her lightly.

Sakura's mind struggled to grasp the words he was saying as his thumbs began tracing circles into her hipbones, "And what does a binding entail?"

His red eyes glowed in a satisfaction, "It depends on the demon."

 _"Sasori._ "

His hands gripped her tighter, "I quite like the way you say my name."

She scowled in response, hating the way her body felt on fire where he touched her. He seemed to know it too as his eyes lazily scanned her face, grin twitching on sinful lips.

"It means I can sense you, wherever you are. While I was in the mirror it meant that I could connect to you in your mind. Now that I'm free, I go where you go."

"But now that we have a contract, I don't have to be bound to you… right?" she hated that the hopeful note in her voice was so obvious.

Sasori frowned and his eyes became viciously dark before he rolled on top of her.

Sakura had to bite back a panicked gasp as his entire frame engulfed hers. But even more worrisome were the angry eyes that burned into her own fiercely.

"Until I decide what I want from you _pet_ , you will never leave my side," he whispered, voice low and gritty.

It was too much. All too much. The mission with her old team, Sasuke being back, the men at her house, her father's disappearance. Green eyes widened- _her_ _father's disappearance_!

Sakura harshly exhaled and wiggled from beneath him, "Get. Off. Me," she sharply ordered.

If anything Sasori's weight just fell more heavily over her.

"I think you'll find, pet, that I don't take well to orders from humans," he said before lightly nipping at her neck.

She recoiled as a shock of heat shot through her.

"I need to go," she said struggling once again.

" _You're not-"_

"-Sasori, my father is missing! I need to find him and find out who those men were!"

Her eyes automatically drifted to the spot where the masked man had bled out on her floors. No one was there. What exactly had she missed after blacking out?

"Where did that man you killed go?" she questioned, eyes tracing over the slightly darkened patch of wood.

"Which one?"

A chill swam down her spine. She didn't know if it was more unsettling that Sasori had possibly committed a small massacre, or that she was benefitting from it. He was a _demon_ after all, so she couldn't exactly blame him, but it would have been nice to at least question on of the masked men first.

"How many were there?"

Sasori's head bent down and his nose traced her collarbone. She shivered for a completely different reason as crimson hair brushed against her clavicle.

"Just the three. One in here, the two outside," he said, cool breath ghosting over her bare chest.

Her toes curled, "What did you do with them?"

His teeth scraped along her sternum, "You don't want to know."

She kind of did want to know. And she wanted him to stop touching her and derailing all rational thoughts from her brain.

"The one in the ridiculous boar mask was in possession of quite an interesting scroll when I caught him trying to escape," Sasori murmured, nose trailing back up the curve of her neck.

Sakura froze once she fully took in Sasori's subtle insinuation. She was entirely unsure what he would think about her father's research on demons. Ultimately it had worked out in his favour. Her father had procured his mirror and she had released him.

She observed the demon who had finally untangled himself. He languidly stretched out on her sheets, feral content radiating from his lounging form. Sakura was one hundred percent sure that she would regret releasing him, even if it _had_ saved her life.

She wasn't nearly arrogant enough to think she could put a lease on a being like Sasori. And if she did manage to control him, she knew if would only really be an illusion of control. Sasori was fond of mind games. He was the ultimate puppet master who would trick someone into thinking they clutched power in their hands before cruelly crushing their delusions, smirk on his face.

That didn't even factor in the favour he still had to collect from her. She bit her lip and watched as his eyes traced the movement. What exactly would Sasori ask from her? What would a demon want from someone like _her_? Sakura knew that she had grown into a powerful kunoichi, but she doubted that her skill set would contain anything useful to a _demon_.

"I put the scroll back in your father's study," he finally said, watching her watch him.

"How did you manage to get in? The door has a pretty powerful seal on it…"

Sasori arched a brow, making her feel entirely stupid for asking. He was a demon after all, and Sakura highly doubted that her father factored in keeping inhuman beings like him out when creating the seal.

She sighed and repeated her earlier statement, "I have to go."

This time as she rose from the bed, Sasori let her. Now that she was awake and fully functioning, embarrassment flushed her skin. She was standing completely nude in front of Sasori. And while he had seen and done all sorts of wicked things to her naked body in her dreams, she felt decidedly more vulnerable baring her nude form in real life.

Gathering her kunoichi confidence, she wandered over to her dresser and gathered her undergarments, feeling his steady gaze on her the entire time. Pulling on the familiar black pants and dark green top, she felt more like herself. Peaking over her shoulder, she caught Sasori watching her through half-mast eyes. Unease tangled her thoughts.

"What are you planning to do while I'm gone?"

A cruel smile twisted his lips, "nothing for you to worry about, little pet."

"But I do worry. I let you out of that mirror, and if you decide to go and eat half the children in the village than that's on me."

Abruptly he threw his head back and laughed. It was a sinisterly melodious sound. "Oh Sakura, whatever gave you the impression that I eat children?"

She exhaled her impatience, "I'm fairly sure you threatened me with that once."

"If I'm going to eat you, I ensure you it will be an entirely enjoyable experience," his smirk was filthy.

She fought to keep herself from either blushing or giggling at the ridiculousness of a _flirting_ demon.

"You said that until I fulfil my half of the contract, you will be with me all the time."

Sasori remained silent.

Sakura bit back a curse. She felt distinctly like she was between a rock and a hard place. If she left Sasori to go search for her father and the demon decided to launch a hostile attack on the village than she was screwed. If she stayed here, than her father could be suffering somewhere… He may not have been the best parent, but he was still her dad.

Her choice was taken from her when a small poof of smoke materialized in the middle of her bedroom. Sakura felt her heart stop as she gazed at the small slug. Horrified green eyes swivelled to her bed only to feel all encompassing relief when the only thing she spotted were rumpled bed sheets.

"Tsunade-sama is requesting you head to her office immediately for mission debriefing, Sakura-sama," the little slug said.

"Thank you, I'll be right there," by some miracle she managed to keep her voice even.

Sakura inwardly cursed as the small slug disappeared. She had forgot all about giving her mission debriefing.

"Sasori, where are you?" she hissed once she was completely sure her and Tsunade's summon was gone.

Without any warning, a muscled forearm wrapped around her middle and once again he hotly pressed into her from behind. His nose buried itself into her hair and he inhaled deeply, as if he was huffing a favourite drug.

"Don't worry about me pet- I _promise_ I'll be good while your gone."

The words were reassuring enough, but his wry tone contradicted them. Sakura was positive that Sasori's ideas about behaving were vastly different than the average person. He wasn't a person after all and the rules that regulated humans just wouldn't work for him.

"I could leave a clone," she mused aloud.

His thrum of laughter vibrated through her spine.

"Now that would be _interesting_ ," he purred.

She nixed the idea. Kami knew she didn't want to be any more traumatized by the time the clone's memories transferred to her. Sighing, she realized that she didn't really have a choice but to leave him. He may have said that she could never leave him, but that was seemingly more of a figurative statement than a literal one. Arching her neck around to look at him, she watched as he inhaled deeply one more time before steeping away.

They locked eyes and Sakura felt her body sing as she stared at him. She had been unconscious the entire night and he could have escaped. Left and gone to do whatever demons like Sasori did, collecting his debt in a few years… He could have lit the village on fire while she slept. He could have done any number of nameless horrors. And yet he hadn't.

She watched the demon's brows furrow as she stepped away. He frowned lightly as she reached for the doorknob and slipped out, before she lost the battle with her conscious.

Leaping from rooftops, Sakura made her way to Hokage's Tower in record time. She wasn't sure how she felt so invigorated after the absolute mess her night had been. Chakra exhaustion paired with a kunai injury should have had her feeling at least a little bit sluggish. But there wasn't even a hint of a scar on her side and her chakra pool felt as full as ever…

She was hesitant to wonder whether Sasori's physical presence could have made an even bigger impact on her healing. She froze on the steps to her former shishou's office. What if Sasori had done something to her when she was sleeping? She wouldn't put it past him- he was a demon after all, and he had no scruples about tricking her when she was barely more than a child.

Sighing, she continued up the stairs. If he _had_ done something than she was sure it would come to light soon enough. Knocking on the door, Sakura waited until she heard Tsunade's low voice permit her entry. Swinging open the heavy door, she was mildly surprised to find Kakashi and Naruto already standing in the office. Naruto had a vicious scowl painted on his face as he glowered at Tsunade.

"Good, now that you're all here," Tsunade said with a pointed look at Sakura.

She flushed lightly at the reprimanding undertone. With all of the events that had happened to her, she felt that a reprieve for mission recaps should be allowed. But of course, no one else in the office was aware of what exactly was going on in her home.

"-go over the events of your mission," the older woman said briskly. "Hatake informed me of the more general points last night, but I want details."

"I can't believe you arrested the bastard!" Naruto growled.

"Shut it brat! Until I know what Uchiha Sasuke's intentions are with Konoha, he is staying at Hotel Ibiki. You may have unwavering trust in him, but I have the rest of the village's safety to worry about, Tsunade snarled, amber eyes flinty.

Naruto's scowl didn't waver, but he didn't protest any further.

Kakashi stepped forward, "As I said last night, we ran from Fire to Water Country before resting for the night. In the morning, we made our way to Sound. We decided to have Sakura pose as a civilian to bait Orochimaru's nin who frequently kidnapped locals. "

Tsunade's gaze flickered over to her.

Sakura cleared her throat, mind at little at awe how it was only two nights ago she was staying at Hitori's. "I snuck into a civilian house to steal some clothes and then scanned the village perimeters. There were a few chakra signatures of Sound shinobi who were obviously scouting for victims. I found a little farm house to stay at, knowing that they would be targeting people with fresh harvests."

"-how did you get that guy to let you stay at his house, anyways?" Naruto interrupted.

Her eyes met Tsunade's and she saw the unspoken understanding. She may not have seduced Hitori, but it wasn't exactly a foreign practice to her or any other kunoichi either…

"I told him I was travelling to the next village to help my sister. I asked him if he knew a safe inn that I could stay at. Traditional village men don't like women travelling alone, so I knew he would offer me a place."

"And what if he wasn't offering you a warm bed from kindness? What if he wanted something else?" Kakashi asked and Sakura could deduce from his tone that he was frowning.

Impatience with her two former teammates swirled within her. Did they really think that she was completely incompetent against a civilian man? "It would have got me in the door either way, and that's what we needed to get into the Sound base."

Kakashi's brow didn't lift, but Sakura didn't care. He of all people should know not to coddle her anymore. Especially after their last one on one conversation.

She continued retelling the night's events, including the large holding cell of civilians she was placed in.

Naruto looked absolutely horrified. And while she had shared the sentiment when placed in the cell, she wondered how ignorant her blonde teammate was. He knew that they were kidnapping civilians- that was the whole ruse that allowed them entry to the base. Surely he didn't think that Orochimaru was actually a gracious host to his kidnapped cargo. They were being used for lab specimens after all…

"And what were you two doing while this was happening?" Tsunade questioned.

Sakura cocked her head, curious as to what exactly had went down to cause those shaking explosions within the base.

"Naruto and I followed Sakura and the Sound nin into the base. I instructed Naruto to find Sasuke, while I looked for Orochimaru," Kakashi reiterated.

"But Sasuke was already fighting with the snake creep when we got there. Kakashi-sensei and I decided to help as a bunch of other nin started helping Orochimaru," Naruto continued, voice gaining some enthusiasm.

"Naruto hit one of the base's support beams with his rasengan. It brought a huge chunk of the ceiling down," Kakashi added.

Sakura's eyes widened- clearly Naruto had mastered the ninjutsu technique.

"The collapsed ceiling took out a lot of the Sound shinobi. Sasuke killed Orochimaru with his own sword," Naruto said, sounding grumpily impressed. "Bastard turned his sword on me, but was only talked down when I mentioned his brother."

"While the boys were fighting, I found the electrical box and shoved a chidori in it. The electrical charge caused a fire and with another hit, the base started collapsing," Kakashi finished.

"So while the men were destroying he building, you ran into no problems gathering these files," Tsunade asked, hand gesturing to a familiar pile of folders.

"Yakushi Kabuto was in the lab when I arrived," Sakura stated, feeling the weight of all of the eyes in the room on her. "I took him down and grabbed as many files as I could."

"How-" Kakashi started, to say but Tsunade cut him off.

"Genjutsu or medical ninjutsu?"

"Both," Sakura answered, knowing that she was asking how Sakura killed the former Konoha nin.

Naruto's eyes were nearly bugged out of his head as he stared at her. It made all those pesky feelings of unworthiness claw at her intestines. She had committed her first kill before either Sasuke or him- not the two would have known, unless Kakashi told them. But still, shouldn't Naruto realize that she was a _real_ kunoichi by now?

"I opened the holding cell door before leaving. I have no idea whether or not the civilians made it out of the base before the building collapsed though," Sakura quietly admitted. She would hold no guilt if they had died. Yes it was a terrible fate- especially for people who were never supposed to be involved. But she wasn't the one to lure them there and she wasn't the one to bring the building down. Her eyes glanced over to Kakashi to see him flinch.

"Naruto convinced Sasuke to come back to Konoha to look into his family's files and some discreet orders from the Third," Kakashi said, with a heavy pointed look at the Hokage.

Tsunade's lips tilted down word, but she gestured for him to continue.

"We ran to the set meeting point and waited for about ten minutes for Sakura to met us. Once we were all together, we ran until we reached Waterfall and camped there for the night. I had the team up before dawn and we reached Konoha at nightfall, where ANBU took custody of Sasuke."

Sakura listened with a blank face- he brain was stuck on the way that Kakashi called them 'the team,' as if they were all twelve years old again.

"Can I go see him?" Naruto demanded, jaw stubborn. He looked as though he would burst into the holding cells no matter what answer the busty blonde gave him.

Tsunade's gimlet glare spoke wonders at her insight to Naruto's motives, "You can see him- _but_ no telling him anything else about his brother, secret orders, or the Third!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed, "He deserves to know that Itachi is innocent. Hell, Itachi deserves to come home!"

Sakura's brows furrowed in confusion- clearly she was missing some key information. And judging by the unsurprised look in Kakashi's eye, he too knew what Naruto was talking about. Once again, she was the one left in the dark.

"Do not be so rash!" Tsunade said, voice hard. "There are things that are no meant to be said when prying eyes and hungry ears are about. I don't want you to say anything to the Uchiha brat where you could be overheard."

Naruto looked all together petulant, but he still nodded his head.

"Kakashi, I want you to work on that mission we discussed before you left," Tsunade continued. Kakashi gave a sharp nod. "Sakura, take these files to the hospital and set them up in a private lab. I want to know if Orochimaru was onto anything that we should know about."

Sakura inwardly sighed. She desperately wanted to know what information Naruto and Kakashi were clearly aware of. But these were her orders, and she was already breaking about a million Konoha rules with Sasori, so it was the least she could do to follow them.

"Yes, Tsuande-sama."

"The only one that gave me any respected," Tsunade said under her breath. "Alright, now get out of my office and get to work."

Grabbing the files, she was out the door without a glimpse at her former teammates. Knowing Naruto and his one-track mind for Sasuke, she wouldn't have to worry about him following her. Worry still frayed her nerves- _where_ was her father?

Heading to the hospital, Sakura bypassed her normal office floor and went deeper into the bowels of the building, where the labs were store. Unlocking one of Shizune's private lab spaces, Sakura dumbed the box full of files on the table.

She slumped onto a chair before grabbing a file at random and opening it. Her lips curled in faint disgust- not at the image, she had seen her fair share of blood and gore, but at the fact that someone tried to do this to another person. There was a picture of a man's form split in the middle, in standard autopsy form. All of his organs were tinged blue as they had been injected with a mineral compound to see if it would help harden a protective shell around them. Sakura scoffed- surely Kabuto at least would have known that organs already had protective shells- bones! And that most problems came from their insides failing, not the outside.

Her head snapped up as the door swung open and a tired looking Shizune shuffled in. "Ah Sakura, Tsuande-sama said you'd be here."

"Sorry if I'm in your space," she said, her eyes gazing around to all the poison experiments the older woman liked to conduct.

Shizune waved her hand, "Oh don't worry about it. Oh by the way, some nurses found a man passed out under Hokage Tower. They were bringing him in as I came down here. All I heard was brain was unresponsive. You might want to go and take a look."

Sakura nodded. Shizune's specialty may have been poison, but Sakura had always been a master of the brain. Getting up from her chair she cast a genjutsu on the files. She wasn't worried about Shizune peaking, but if anyone else managed to break in, than they would have a hard time finding any of Orochimaru's work.

Briskly walking up the stairs, Sakura stopped once she reached the flurry of nurses. They were surrounding a stretcher, with a prone man lying on it. Sakura froze as she recognized the man- it was her father!

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Sorry it took a little longer to come out. I have been feeling a little under the weather this week.

Sasori is out and being his lovely terrible self lol. Next chapter we will find out what he got up to while Sakura was gone.

Thank you to those who have reviewed! I look forward to reading more feedback!


	12. Ascent

_Warning: the usuals_

 **Chapter 12: Ascent**

" _Northing in the world_

 _is more dangerous than_

 _sincere ignorance and_

 _conscientious stupidity"_

 _\- Martin Luther King Jr._

The heart monitor beeped a steady rhythm. It was both comforting and hair-raising. The brain scans had shown normal, regular, run of the mill activity. In fact, her father's entire body scan had displayed a man that was in perfect health for his age. Instead, he was in a coma.

Sakura's mind positively itched at what the possibilities of what was keeping her father from being cognizant. She was a top medic nin, one of the best. So why was this seemingly simple problem presenting no solution?

She had probed both his mind and chakra networks with her own healing ninjutsu twice. And nothing appeared to flag itself as a problem. So the reasoning behind this unnatural sleep was more than alarming.

"Who do you think he is?" the young nurse who had been assisting her in taking his vitals questioned. Her voice was a breathy whisper that was filled with speculation, "I mean, he must be either a _criminal_ or knew something dangerous if they found him like this outside of Hokage Tower."

Sakura clenched her fists. She knew that the legion of masked nin had undoubtedly caused this. But who exactly those masked nin were was a mystery.

"Sakura-sensei?"

She ignored the nurse. If anyone found out that the man was her father than she would be removed from his case due to personal conflict. It was standard hospital protocol. But there was no way she would step down from whatever illness was plaguing him.

She needed her father awake and healthy now more than ever. Sasori was out of the mirror and she was contractually tied to him- Haruno Kizashi was possibly one of the only people who could get her out of this. And despite the blackened resentment she always held for his research, clearly it was instrumental to the safety of the village if people were willing to go to these lengths for it.

"Don't feel bad, you're not a god. You can't heal _everyone_ ," the nurse prattled on, her tone encouraging.

Sakura sent the woman a scathing glare that made her scurry out of the room with under-the breath curses. She _knew_ that she couldn't heal everyone, but this wasn't just another nameless nin. This was her father.

Eying his brain scan again, she huffed. It had to be genjutsu. Nothing else could cause a perfectly healthy body and mind to shut down like this. And being somewhat of a genjutsu expert herself caused her to feel even more rankled- she should know what to do.

Doing a quick double check at the door, Sakura leaned over her father's prone body and dipped her fingers into his pockets. This wasn't her job- it was something reserved for investigative nin, but she needed the information first. As expected though, there was nothing there. Whoever had done this had clearly cleaned out his personal belongings. Sakura knew that her father usually kept at least a few spare coins and a senbon needle on him.

Green eyes roamed up to see that his right fist was tightly clenched. Strange behaviour as usually coma patients relaxed their muscles. She took his larger hand in her much smaller one and pried his fingers apart. A tiny scrap of paper that felt both heavy and fragile slipped free. It was clearly a piece torn from a scroll. Sakura's eyes widened as they landed on the fading letters that spelled out _'sharingan._ '

Her breath caught as she considered the implications... Except she wasn't sure what the implications could be. The Uchiha clan were gone, taking their sharingan with them. The scroll fragment looked far too old to be referring to Kakashi and Sasuke had abandoned the village half a decade ago. So _how_ could the sharingan be involved with demons, summoning scrolls and her father?

She chewed her lip and mulled over if her luck was turning out to be very good or very bad that Sasuke was actually in the village when she needed him. Locked up snug in a holding cell where she could question him on his family secrets. Her shoulders fell- there was no way Ibiki would let her in without permission, and Sasuke was a young child when his family were alive- would he truly know any Uchiha family secrets?

Sakura mentally cursed all the men in her life. She had spent the majority of the last five years in the company of powerful women. And now that the men had returned they were causing chaos. From Team Seven wrecking havoc on her carefully balanced bitterness and confidence, to her father and his shades of grey research, to Sasori…

Sakura froze as her gaze drifted to the clock in the hospital room. Five hours had already gone by since she had left Sasori alone in her home. Her mental tirade became slightly more violent as she started flipping through hand signs. She shouldn't have left him alone. _Boar_. Who knew what kind of malevolent mayhem he would cause? _Tiger._ What if someone saw him? _Monkey._ What if they found out about the research and lies? _Rabbit._

Layers upon layers of genjutsu blanketed her father. No one, not even the nurses would be able to get into this hospital. No one except for her would even notice the door that seemingly melted into the wall unless they were very highly skilled. Or had the sharingan. And since Kakashi avoided hospitals like the plague, Sakura felt as though her father would be safe enough.

Still, her paranoia didn't abate as she slipped down the hall. If those masked shinobi were truly after him, than surely they would like to finish the job. But for now, his vitals were stable and Sakura had done all she could do without looking more into the incident. Her mind whirled with possibilities as she leapt over rooftops on her way home.

When her feet noiselessly touched the soft grass just outside of her property, Sakura did a quick scan. She didn't sense anyone. But she had _never_ sensed anyone before. Which was highly unsettling- it spoke to the high skill set these masked nin clearly possessed.

She cautiously stalked across the lawn and entered her house. She paused and did another scan wondering if she would be able to sense Sasori if he was home. _Please Kami, let him be home._

"It won't work pet," a low voice whispered in her ear.

Sakura shrieked and jumped away in a move that was so ironically clumsy for someone in her line of work. When she spun around, hand clutching her heart, she saw Sasori was smirking… and still nude.

"You won't be able to sense me unless I _want_ you to," the demon purred, amusement brightening his eyes.

"Do demons not wear clothes? Is that not a _thing_?" she asked, trying to ignore the bizarre urge to laugh. All those years of talking to him in the mirror, she could only see him from his chin up. Was he naked the entire time? It was almost too ridiculous to think of…

His grin turned wry, "We wear clothes when it suits us. Why? Am I making you uncomfortable pet?"

In truth, yes, he was. Sakura didn't have any idea how to mesh together the reality that Sasori, her childhood diary demon and her shadowed lover were the same person. That the demon who used to taunt her for her simpering behaviour was standing in front of her looking at her with eyes that spoke of a different type of taunting.

And what a sight he was to behold. He was tall- taller than any man she had ever met. Pale skin coated sinewy muscles. He was lithe and the lack of colour in his skin only made his hair and eyes even more shocking to look at. Deep crimson that looked dark under night, but became flaming under the sun. He was the definition of sinful attraction.

And he certainly wasn't looking at her like she was a child anymore. With his head cocked in question and a wicked grin on his lips, Sasori was everything her father _should_ have warned her about. The pleased look in his eye as he gazed upon her was both thrilling and terrifying. Sakura knew that that a part of her should not have felt so exhilarated by his presence. He would lead to her downfall- she was sure of it. But when his tongue swiped over his lips, she felt her heartbeat spike. His smirk grew larger and she was sure he knew it too.

"I'm guessing you didn't leave the house if you aren't dressed…"

"No," his answer was a purred rumbling.

"Come on, let's find you some clothes," she sighed, trying _very_ hard not to look south of hipbones.

There were many different adjectives she could have used to describe Sasori's penis. Most of them sounded like they belonged in the trashy romance novels Ino devoured. Proud, jutting, heavy, thick… She wanted to roll her eyes at herself if it wasn't for the fact that he followed so close that she could feel his presence ghosting along her back. That all those ridiculous adjectives that Sakura thought female author's used because they were too embarrassed to call a penis, a penis seemed not so ridiculous when she felt the overwhelming urge to turn around and grip his _manhood_ and get to her knees to pray….

Green eyes widened… _what was wrong with her_? She peeked back at Sasori to see a full blown demonic smirk on his face as if he _knew_ the direction her thoughts had headed in. Paranoia made her eyes narrow at the demon- he couldn't _read_ her thoughts, right?

"What have you been doing all day than?" she asked, passing the demon some of her father's clothes, knowing that they wouldn't fit right.

"Reading your father's research," Sasori said in such a casual tone that Sakura's breath caught. She had expected him to lie about snooping.

"Oh?" She questioned, green eyes mourning as the shirt cloaked his chest.

"Your father is certainly a resourceful man," Sasori said, tone nonchalant enough to know that whatever was in the study was probably very secret knowledge and very dangerous.

"Can I ask you something?" her voice couldn't mask her hesitation.

Sasori sprawled himself into an armchair, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. But the intent look in his eyes revealed his seriousness. "Sure."

"How did my father never know you were in the mirror?"

She watched as claw tipped fingers steepled before he spoke, "Simple, pet. I didn't _want_ him to know I was there."

"But you wanted me to know?"

He hummed his agreement.

"Why? Because I was a child? Easy to manipulate…"

Sasori's half lidded stare would have normally made her think tiredness, but the bright red of his iris, bellied his attention. "Amongst other reasons…"

 _Other reasons?_ What other reasons could he have had to make his presence known to her? "How did you come to be in the mirror in the first place?"

The lazy stare disappeared instantly. He was in front of her before she could process his movement. "Why? Hoping you can put me back in there?" his breath brushed over her cheeks and Sakura swallowed thickly when she felt one clawed finger whisper over her jugular.

The thought of being able to put Sasori back into the mirror had never truly occurred to her. She had been so focused on what he would do while he was out and how to break their contract, that a solution like putting him back _in_ never crossed her mind.

"You may be important to me, pet," he whispered in her ear. Her stomach clenched as his soft caress did not match the ugly words. "But I will end your bright little life, if you think to cage me." The caressing hand on her neck started to squeeze.

Sakura's hand automatically came up to grip his wrist- to pry his fingers off her throat. His hand didn't budge and her air supply spluttered. She gathered chakra to her hand and tugged again. _Nothing happened_. His grip was punishing.

"Sasori," she choked. Her eyes started watering as black spots danced in her vision.

Glowing red eyes peered into her dimming green ones, "Remember pet, you still owe me a favour. If I even get a hint of you working against _my_ best interests, I could do all sorts of terrible things to you."

It was the first time that he had uttered those words with no hint of sexual innuendo. It was not the first time she feared him, but it was the first time she feared what he could do to her.

His grip loosened and she felt air fill her lungs. Yet his hand still remained on her neck, more of a embrace than a grip. And looking up into his eyes, Sakura could see the red being taken over by dilating black. His body was ridged as it towered over her. She inhaled harshly, her chest brushing against his with the movements. Green eyes dropped to watch his adams apple bob. Her mouth was dry and she could feel her nipples hard inside her shirt.

This was _wrong. So wrong, so wrong._ She should not feel like this after he threatened her. She should not feel hot, like her insides were on fire. She should not feel her pulse hammering in anything other than fear. She should not want to press into him and slide for delicious friction. Kami, what was wrong with her?

But when the feral growl tore from his lips and Sasori's other hand gripped her back, puling her against him, Sakura felt electrified. His grip on her spine was punishing, but as his head tilted down, Sakura felt her blood race. And just when his lips hovered over her own, the faintest brush that was so good, but not enough, a loud knock came from the front door.

Sasori hissed when she jumped back at the intruding noise. He turned away from her instantly, so she missed the narrowed eyed look he sent door.

Yet, Sakura remained rooted to the spot- staring at Sasori's back. Questions firing through her brain faster than she could absorb them. Another pounding knock echoed through the house.

"You better go get that pet. Despite his reputation, I know _he_ doesn't appreciate being left waiting," Sasori said, tone even.

She eyed his straightened spine for one more moment, before disappearing out the door, missing the way his eyes trailed her form.

Sakura's already frowning face grew deeper as she opened the door. She sighed, "What do you want Kakashi?"

Kakashi's brow dipped and Sakura had a feeling that he was hoping that all of her resentment would have just disappeared after the mission. And perhaps it was petty of her to continue to push him away, but she just didn't have the energy for her former team right now.

"The Hokage has summoned you."

Sakura's brows furrowed, "Again?" Unease slithered down her spine… Could Tsunade _know_ about Sasori?

"Perhaps it has something to do with your jounin application," Kakashi replied, quickly falling into step beside her as she marched down her laneway.

Her spirits lifted slightly. Tsunade had promised her a promotion if she was successful in the Sasuke retrieval mission. And they had been successful. Was she really going to be a jounin?

"I thought that you wouldn't be as eager for your promotion now that the team is all back together," Kakashi said, and Sakura could see him study her out of the corner of his eyes.

"I haven't spoken to you for half a decade until Naruto returned, Naruto can't seem to get past the fact that I'm not twelve, and Sasuke is sitting in an interrogation cell. I have worked hard, why shouldn't I peruse the promotion?"

"Did you not miss it? Us? The team?" Kakashi asked, hand bringing her to a halt on the steps of Hokage Tower.

She exhaled harshly, "More than you will ever know." Her eyes met his dark one, "But when people keep leaving, you have to learn to let go of the past and forge your own life."

"So Team Seven is done than? Just history?" Kakashi asked, and Sakura was not deaf to the anger colouring his words.

"Of course not. But, we both know that I wasn't ever truly a part of the team. I was always on the sidelines, muddling my way through things."

Kakashi shook his head in disbelief, "Don't you get it Sakura? You were the glue that held the team together. We need you," he hissed.

"Than I suppose we are at a stalemate. You need me, but I _don't_ need you. Tell me Kakashi, in a few years if Naruto gets permitted to Hokage training, will you ask him to step down? After all, Hokages do not participate in missions, and therefore Naruto will not be part of the team. Will you ask him to give up his dream?"

"Of course not," Kakashi hissed. "I would never ask my students to give up their dreams. But I was under the impression that you didn't have any specific future ambitions. I wasn't aware that we were holding _you_ back from anything."

Sakura yanked her arm out of Kakashi's grasp, "It's been five years. You don't _really_ know me anymore."

"Yes, I can see that. The Sakura I knew would never give up on her team," Kakashi said before slipping off.

Sakura was sorely tempted to scream, but they had already made enough of a scene in front of Hokage Tower. Fury gnawed at her insides- how dare _he_ of all people say that! And yet, as she stepped inside the ancient building, Sakura knew the only reason why she felt so mad was because guilt was fuelling her fury.

"Come in Sakura," Tsunade called from behind thick wooden doors.

Sakura stepped inside, and felt all of her previous anger leave her under her former mentor's hard stare.

"I was originally going to summon you hear to congratulate you on your promotion," Tsunade said, voice hard, "but circumstances have changed. Is there anything you would like to tell me Sakura?"

Sakura felt her body stiffen under the woman's biting stare. Her silence must have outlasted Tsunade's patience though.

"Imagine my surprise when Shizune came to have lunch with me and tells me about the unknown Leaf shinobi found at steps to this building today…."

Sakura felt like ice was slipping down her spine as her mentor continued.

"And how the nurses were surprised with how the level-headed Sakura-sensei turned frantic at the sight of him. How she bullied Aikiko-san out of the room."

"Tsunade-sama, I-"

Tsunade's louder voice cut her off, "-and Shizune and I became worried because it's not like you to act that way, so we decided to go to the hospital and check on you. And imagine my surprise when I didn't find you or the patient anywhere in sight. That a genjutsu so expertly crafted that I needed to get Kurani-san to break it only to find _your father_."

"I know," Sakura choked, "I know I screwed up-"

"-What in Kami's name were you thinking?" Tsunade yelled, hand cracking down on her desk. "Not only is treating a family member a severe breach in protocol, but you also cast genjutsu on the hospital. What if something happened to him and you weren't there? No one would know how to help him. _Why did you do something so stupid?"_

"Someone's trying to kill him!" Sakura desperately shouted back. She felt herself freeze after the words left her mouth.

Tsunade's derisive snort was the last thing she expected, "Well, obviously." At her confused stare, the older woman continued. "You didn't think I did a background check on you when I decided to take you on as my apprentice. I know who your father is."

"Than you know what his research is about…"

Tsunade settled back into her chair, but her eyes remained hard, "I have some vague ideas. You are going to explain everything now."

Her voice booked no room for argument. Sakura swallowed heavily.

"I was barely more than a baby when one of the council members approached him." She watched as Tsunade stiffened, "they were worried about the Nine Tails attack; worried that something similar would happen again. One of the council members asked him to research demons."

Tsunade tapped a finger on her desk and her eyes gazed out the window, "Which council member?"

"Danzo," Sakura replied and observed as Tsunade opened her desk drawer and grabbed a sake jug. She didn't bother with a glass, but took a swing straight from the bottle.

"Hokage-sama?"

"Continue," Tsunade barked, "there must be a reason people are targeting him now."

Sakura nodded, "I used to be so fascinated at his research until my mother left. And then I wrote it off. He had tons of scroll, statues, books… I never really thought his research amounted to anything," she paused, wondering if she should mention the interlude years that included Sasori.

Tsunade waved her hand as she gulped more sake, motioning for her to continue.

"When I got promoted to chunin, he was frantic over a stolen summoning scroll," she watched as Tsunade froze, "and a few nights ago he said that there were people watching the house. He had put seals on his office and said that someone was interested in summoning demons."

"Who?" Tsunade asked, voice sharp.

Sakura shook her head, "I don't know. But when I got home from my mission there was a masked man and he tried to attack me."

"What happened to him?" Tsunade asked, eyes hard, but filled with concern.

Sakura swallowed thickly, "A demon killed him for me."

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Thank you so much for your reviews on the previous one. My schedule has gotten quite a bit busier, so I'm sorry that my updates have slowed a little. I'm trying to balance my writing time with work, but I'm only human.**

 **As for Sasori being a dick- well, he's a demon…**

 **Please leave me a review and let me know what you think.**

 **Also, I have reread this story and all my small grammar mistakes are blinding. I don't have a beta. I'm probably going to go back and edit with a fine tooth come when this story is done. So apologies if you notice some!**


	13. Penalties

**Chapter 13: Penalties**

" _I've always liked quiet people:_

 _You never know if they're dancing_

 _in a daydream or if they're carrying_

 _the weight of the world."_

 _-John Green_

The moment of silence that followed her proclamation was deafening. Sakura felt adrenalin fill her system as Tsunade stared at her blankly. Each second that passed increased her heart rate. A nervous sweat gathered at the base of her neck.

"Mind running that by me again?" Tsunade said, voice a deadly whisper.

She swallowed thickly, "A demon killed the masked man in my house."

"And _how_ did a demon come to be in your house?" Tsunade inquired, setting her sake jug down sharply.

A million different explanations flittered through her brain, and she only had a split second to decide which one to use or else the older woman would suspect her of lying.

Meeting Tsunade's eye directly she decided on a half- truth, "When I was little my father brought a mirror home that he found in Suna. It was rumoured to have a demon trapped in it. But it was just a pretty hand- mirror, nothing special about it. I've had it in my room for over a decade…" Sakura said, watching as Tsunade's eyes widened. "But when the man was attacking me, it fell off my dresser and shattered. I was yelling for help when the demon came out and killed the man."

So maybe it was more of a lie, with a bit of truth sprinkled in. Ignorance was a deadly disease in her line of work, but in this case it could prevent a treason charge.

"And you didn't think to tell me when you were here this morning?" Tsunade hissed.

Sakura flinched back. She knew that avoiding punishment was impossible. And if she was honest, she knew that she technically deserved it. After all, she had risked the safety of her village by letting Sasori out to protect herself. All shinobi operated on the mantra that the good of the majority, triumphed the good of one. She had broken that rule.

"I didn't know what to say. Everything all blended together with the mission and the demon. I passed out from chakra exhaustion and I wasn't sure if Sasori had done something to me," she said, the pleading note in her voice echoing amongst the room.

Tsunade's nostrils flared and Sakura knew that her fury was not abated in the slightest by her excuse. "Sasori? That's the creature's name?"

It was strange hearing her call Sasori a 'creature.' While Sakura could never mistake him for a human, there was something so sophisticated about him that the word creature didn't seem eloquent enough.

She nodded.

"And where is the demon now?" Tsunade's eyes were narrowed in a hawk-like way as they watched her.

"At my ho-house," she stuttered, feeling the full brunt of her former mentor's anger.

"It hasn't tried to leave?" Tsunade questioned, arching a pale brow. "Have you actually manage to incapacitate it?"

Hearing Sasori being referred to as an 'it' was even stranger than referring to him as creature. His masculinity was about as subtle as a sledgehammer.

She was oh so tempted to bite her lip as she quickly pondered whether or not to tell Tsunade about the contract. She knew that chewing on her lip was one of her tells and she didn't want to get herself into deeper trouble. But the thought of lying to her Hokage didn't sit well either.

"He hasn't attempted to leave. I'm not sure how long he has been stuck in the mirror. I think he is a little wary of the outside world and what could have changed," Sakura said. She rationalized that she wasn't exactly _lying-_ for all she knew Sasori was allergic to sunlight and afraid to go out in the day. He was certainly pale enough.

"So let me get this straight-" Tsunade said, disbelief colouring her words, "last night a masked shinobi attacked you and a demon came out of a mirror and killed the man for _you._ And now the demon is resting at your house, like a docile pet…"

When she put it like that it sounded crazy. Sakura hesitantly nodded her head and flinched when the older woman nosily sighed.

"So what do you think he wants from you? And more importantly is he going to be a problem for Konoha?"

"I'm not really sure what he wants from me," Sakura said, telling the complete truth for the first time since she stepped foot in the room. "I don't think he is all that concerned with humans. From what I've garnered from my father's research, demons can't truly harm humans unless they enter a contract."

And she was one of those idiotic people who had entered one. Sasori could force her to poison every nin under her charge at the hospital. He could make her destroy Hokage Tower with a fist. He could ask her to slit the throats of every child still training at the Academy. And she would have to do it… Ice settled in her soul as she finally considered the ramifications of her actions. That whatever Sasori could ask of her might not affect her, so much as her village or the people she loved.

Tsunade remained still as she processed Sakura's words, "Demons can only harm humans through a contract. But the Nine Tails…"

Sakura hesitantly nodded- it was the same quiet solution that she had came up with since her father told her. Someone would have had to enter the Nine Tails into a contract and manipulated him. It was the only way to explain the demon's rage and possibly revenge on her village.

"And you don't think this 'Sasori' demon will hurt the village?"

Sakura shook her head. Truth be told, she had no idea if Sasori would want to hurt the village. If her father's information was right, than the people he would carry grudges against would be from Suna. And yet, Sasori didn't particularly seem bothered by killing those masked men. Still, he was not a mindless beast. He seemed far too haughty to just kill for the sake of killing, even if it was a part of his nature.

"Okay," Tsunade breathed, "here is what we are going to do," the determined glint in the woman's amber eyes made it clear that her word was law. "You are going to find that stolen summoning scroll and destroy it."

Sakura nodded resolutely. That seemed more than fair. Burning a summoning scroll wouldn't even hurt Sasori- it would just end all future chances he had to make contracts. If no one could summon him, than he couldn't manipulate humans. He may be annoyed by it, but after his entrapment in the mirror, Sakura didn't think he would overly mind as long as he was free.

"-But first, you are going to find a way to seal the demon away again," Tsunade said, eyes stony.

She felt her heart sink. Less than an hour ago, Sasori had been choking her with a threatening promise if she tried to cage him- and now her Hokage was ordering her to. At Tsunade's expectant stare, she nodded, wishing she felt as determined as she forced herself to look.

"Perhaps once that is finished I will consider promoting you. But for now, I can't have jounin with these kinds of secrets. The last one who kept secrets killed his entire clan," Tsunade said, disappointment radiating from her.

And while her shoulders slumped, Sakura couldn't help the pinch in her brow, "I thought that Uchiha Itachi was innocent? Naruto wouldn't shut up about it on our mission home…"

The older woman cursed under her breath, "Brat needs to keep his mouth shut!" She stared at Sakura, "a lot of pointless death could have been avoided if there was better communication in the village."

Sakura privately thought that was a fool's hope. They were _shinobi_. Dealing in secrets was their trade. But she also knew that her annoyance at the hypocrisy was only a cover for regret. Despite her initial reluctance, she had really wanted the jounin promotion.

"I'm taking you off the mission roster and hospital schedule until you have those tasks done. Sealing the demon and destroying the summoning scroll are your top priority," Tsunade said, picking up papers and shuffling them about.

Sakura knew she was only doing it to indicate that the conversation was over. She bowed silently, before slipping out of the room, shame clinging to her figure. She hadn't felt this bad leaving the Hokage's office since she almost botched a heart operation at the hospital. Her feet mindlessly took through the familiar path.

She mentally flinched when she thought of Sasori. A hand absently reached up and brushed against the tender flesh on her neck. It would undoubtedly bruise. If the demon found out about her newest assignment than there was no doubt in her mind that he would do more than just bruise her. She doubted he would even make it a quick crush of her windpipe. No- he would make her suffer slowly. Despite him betraying her trust on more than one occasion, she knew the demon wouldn't tolerate lies in return. Sasori would make her pay dearly if he were to discover her new orders.

Her feet paused outside the familiar door, as her eyes blankly stared at the wood. How was she supposed to keep him in the dark? She knew nothing of Sasori's powers. Those lascivious smirks told her that if he wasn't able to read her mind, than he was an expert at reading her body. He would _know_ if she way lying. Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip- she was a kunoichi, she lied to people for a living. Sasori may not have been a man, but he was still an arrogant male. _Maybe_ , just maybe she could pull this off without her head being mounted on a spike.

Sighing, Sakura stepped inside the building. The same chunin that had manned the library since Asahi had died glared at her as she walked in. Sakura couldn't blame the woman- she had been a few years older than Sakura when she was first posted as library guard. She always presented the pink haired girl with a friendly smile and offers for help. Yet Sakura had constantly snubbed the older girl, her fresh sorrow from Asahi's death fostering an irrational dislike for his replacement. Three years later and the woman's friendliness had finally worn off. Sakura knew that she thought she was arrogant- and perhaps she was. She didn't even bother to learn the woman's name after all.

Her feet silently meandered to her usual section of the library and she sat down. Hand slipping under the table, she flipped through genjutsu signs. Once the last layer was in place, Sakura noiselessly stepped away from the table. The nice thing about genjutsu was that once it was cast, the user didn't have to waste chakra keeping it up the way they would have to with a clone. She peered at the illusionary version of herself, idly flipping through the pages of a large medical textbook. It was such a common- place scene that no one who witnessed it would think twice. Which was exactly what she needed.

Stalking further back into the stacks, emerald eyes scanned through the shelves until they landed on the small section of books she was looking for. They weren't restricted, private or top secret by any means. But she still didn't want her interest in these titles noted. Settling herself further into a corner, she flipped open the cover of _The History of the Great Hokages._ Her eyes flipped through the contents, admiring the information with a wistful smile. Gazing at a man that looked so curiously similar to her own blonde teammate, she remembered when her lofty childhood dreams had idolized Namikaze Minato. But despite how interesting the information was, and how truly remarkable Naruto's resemblance to the man was, it didn't have what she needed.

Turning to the next book, _The Attack of the Nine Tails_ , she hoped for better luck. Because if she could understand _how_ the attack on Konoha went down, than maybe she would be able to better understand her father's research. And logically his research would lead to the scroll thief. She was almost entirely sure that the thief and the masked nin were probably working under the same leadership.

Flipping through the pages, Sakura's brow furrowed as she scanned the words. They were interview statements. _Hundreds_ of them- written by civilian and nin alike. All on the Kyuubi attack and each one had the same thing in common. Their recollections each stated that the war had just ended and Konoha's forces had just begun to recoup after relentless fighting with Iwa when the demon bore down upon them. How he let his malevolent chakra saturate the air.

Sakura raised a brow- she hadn't known that demons used chakra the same way shinobi did- wielding killing intent. Sasori had always kept his chakra skilfully masked. Even threatening her, she had never felt the sting of his life energy.

But the thing that had struck Sakura as most alarming was that all records stated that the Nine Tails broke into the village from the Uchiha compound. Her grip on the book's spine became tighter as she considered how this information coupled with the scrap of scroll she found clutched in her father's hand labelled 'sharingan' could work together. All she could narrow down was that _somehow_ the Uchiha were entwined with demons- whether that was being contracted to them, freeing them or fighting against them, Sakura didn't quite know.

She put the book back on the shelf and stood to her feet. Creeping further back into the stacks, she came upon a small alcove that was almost entirely unnoticeable. Her hands went through the familiar seals and wide eyes watched as a door appeared. She fought against the urge to check her surroundings, knowing that if anyone was watching, they would find her vigilance more suspicious. She entered the door and walked down the cold stony tunnel until a much older wooden door appeared. Pushing it open, the smell of old parchment and stale air hit her nose.

A faint smile ghosted on her lips. The Archives were so restricted that Sakura wasn't even technically supposed to know they existed. It was a room that held every single mission report- from S classed ANBU missions to Tora the cat genin ones were stored here. Working under Tsunade shouldn't have even granted her access, but occasionally she was secretly tasked to organize paperwork here. Only the Hokage and a _very_ select number of high council members even knew about it.

This room was every childhood fantasy come true- a secret nin room full of books on dangerous and intriguing information. The 'scroll' within her, as always was giddy to be there. Each bookshelf was labelled according to mission date and rank. Sakura approached the shelf that was labelled the year after her birth. Her mouth pulled down as she considered exactly what kind of rank her father's mission would be. Especially since it was not actually given to him by the Hokage…

Her eyes drifted to the A rank shelf and the small pile of dusty scrolls that were not assigned by the Third Hokage, but by members of the Shinobi Council. Plucking a few from the shelf, she leaned against the wall. The first scroll was an espionage mission in Iwa, the next was poisoning from Suna. But the third scroll made her eyes light up. A mandate to Haruno Kizashi to research demons. The mission details were vague- he was to find out as much information as he could about summoning, banishing and contracting demons. All expenses paid, no end date. Her eyes widened- most missions didn't allow that kind of freedom, especially on the village's coin. But as her eyes drifted to the signature on the bottom, Sakura considered that perhaps Shimura Danzo was paying out of his own pocket. And how curious that was…

Tucking the scroll into her pocket, she put everything else back in place before turning around. Goosebumps trailed down her arms as she walked back through the stone passage. But when she got to the end of the passage, Sakura stumbled back in alarm. A male was entering through the sealed door. Her shoulder's tensed as their eyes met and she watched as hazel eyes traced her form, just as she was appraising him. He nodded briefly before walking past her. She let out a small exhale as she slipped out the door and returned to dispatch her illusion.

Chaotic thoughts raced through her mind as she left the library. She could never claim that she knew every citizen in the village, but Sakura was confidant that she knew every nin. She had worked in the Hokage's office for years, and witnessed every nin check in for a report at some point. But never in her life had she gazed upon the man that had just entered the secret archive room. He had a handsome face and yet everything about his blank features screamed 'non descript.' Yet the only way he would even know about the room was if he had special permission. And if he had been granted those kinds of favours, than why was his face a stranger to her?

Sakura didn't know why everything seemed to be hitting her at once. She knew that her village had secrets. It was a Hidden Village after all. And she knew that there were missions that she would never be privy to, no matter how much Tsunade trusted her. But all of this cloak and dagger business surrounding her father and the council and _demons_ was more than a little unsettling. And the prospect of facing more of the masked nin or the mysterious involvement of the Uchiha only made her nerves feel more frayed.

Paranoid eyes chased the shadows around her property and carefully probed the perimeter, before slipping inside the house. Heart racing and head starting to ache, Sakura pulled off her nin sandals, hating that even at home she felt unsettled. Trudging up to her bedroom, she felt the weight of her father's mission scroll burning a hole in her pocket.

Pushing the door to her bedroom open, her eyes were instantly drawn to the crimson ones lounging on her chair. Bile burned at the back of her throat as she looked at him… _Kami,_ how was she supposed to lie to him? And _how_ was she supposed to seal him into the mirror again? For one, she had no idea how he came to be there in the first place- just some old dream of a Suna woman giving it to him. And secondly, the mirror was _shattered_. Sasori shifted in her chair and she felt her heart stutter.

"So this is how it's going to be?" the demon snarled.

Sakura fought the urge to flinch. _Maybe he really could read her mind?_ Maybe he knew of her orders...

Her breath halted as he rose to his feet, impressive height coming to tower over her as he moved closer. Emerald eyes dilated in trepidation as a clawed finger trailed down her cheek.

"The silent treatment pet?" he leaned in close, breath washing over her face. "You can't ignore me like you used to. No flipping over the mirror and leaving me to the void," Sasori hissed.

Her breath came out in a whoosh. _He didn't know_. It should have been relieving, yet those red eyes were biting into her, a snake about to strike. Her eyes dropped to the floor, mind whirling at what to do. He wasn't angry- not really. And while her twelve-year-old self had grown accustomed to his annoyance, it was easy to deal with when he was encased in a glass prison. Not looming over her.

She let her eyes linger on the ground and paused to gather her confidence before stepping forward and burrowing herself into his frame. She could feel him stiffen in shock.

"S _asori_ ," she whispered into his chest. The demon's tense posture melted and his arms slithered around her.

"Did someone upset you pet?" he asked, voice light, but with the undertone of violence.

"Yes."

The arms gripped her tighter, and for a split second she forgot that this was supposed a manipulation tactic. That she was doing this to divert suspicion. That his arms really shouldn't feel so nice.

" _Who_?" he whispered, voice deadly smooth.

She nuzzled slightly into her father's shirt, feeling the warmth of her Sasori's skin underneath, "That's the problem. I don't know who they are." Her voice trilled out with a slight whining edge.

She could feel the weight of his chin settle atop her head, "What can I do?"

She fought her natural instinct to stiffen at hearing those words. But the slightly sarcastic words still managed to slip through her lips, "I don't think I should ask any more favours from you."

He pulled back and she found herself staring into his otherworldly eyes, "You know I've killed people for less transgressions than talking to me with that tone."

She swallowed thickly, but didn't avert her gaze, "And here I thought you would be immune to me by now. You did spend years listening to my adolescent self."

She watched as his mouth twitched into a small smile, "I cannot count the number of times I wanted to reach through that cursed mirror and strangle your pretty little neck."

She watched his eyes dip down to consider her neck. Her frowned slightly and Sakura knew that he was without a doubt looking at skin that would have mottled with the imprint of his fingertips.

"You drive me to do crazy things," he breathed.

She bit the inside of her cheek. Nothing Sasori had done seemed overly crazy. Sure it was not business as usually in her house right now- but considering, as he wasn't the actual cause of the chaos that was saying something. But she didn't know what his behaviour was normally like- or any demon's usual habits.

"Dad's in a coma," she blurted out.

She watched Sasori watch her, "And you are upset by this?"

She stepped away from him, "Oh course I am!"

She watched him frown, "I didn't think you cared for the man?"

Her exhale was harsh, "That doesn't mean I want him _dead_."

"Than what do you want pet?" his voice echoing the pure sarcasm she was accustom to hearing in her pubescent years.

She scowled, "I want to know what favour you are going to ask of me."

Sasori narrowed his eyes and Sakura felt trepidation creep back into her conscious, "I don't know yet."

Frustration loosened her tongue, " _Why?_ Why not just ask me for something? Anything! Then you could leave and be free to do whatever you want."

She had no idea why she was saying this. Planting these ideas in his head… Tsunade would kill her. But it had been less than a day and Sakura wasn't sure how she would survive the anxiety his presence brought.

"I will ask when I have decided on what I want," his voice was ominous.

She wanted to scream. Instead, she took another step away and turned, heading back out the door. Continuing down the stairs, her silent feet lead a path to her father's study. She flipped through the complex seals, and stepped inside, closing the door with resolute thud. Her twelve-year-old self would have slammed the door. She felt only slightly childish, that her near eighteen-year-old self settled on sharp clicks of locks.

Leaning against the door, she pulled the mission scroll from her pocket. Her eyes flickered over the familiar room, noticing that it looked exactly in order. She doubted the masked men had managed to actually break in. The organized chaos her father kept his study in would have needed careful surveillance if anyone tried to steal something without notice. And the seals spoke prevented espionage.

Walking over to her father's desk, she opened his top drawer. She moved to shuffle loose papers out of the way to hide the mission scroll when a note caught her attention. It was a part of a scroll that clearly had a piece torn off of it. And Sakura knew where the other part was- her father had been clutching it in his hand. Pulling the worn paper out, her eyes widened.

' _\- can control the chakra from a tailed beast. The ocular powers when it is in it's most complex stages are able to manipulate, subdue or dominate these particular types of demons.'_

She knew the missing word. It was 'sharingan.'

She mindlessly sat back in her father's chair as thoughts assaulted her senses. _The sharingan could control tailed demons._ Her knuckles turned white. _The Nine Tails had entered the village from the Uchiha compound_. She could feel her heartbeat pick up. _Could one of them have… summoned? Controlled? Commanded the nine tails? An Uchiha?_

"Are you done having your tantrum?"

Sakura choked slightly as Sasori's voice caressed her ear.

" _I'm not having a tantrum_ ," she snapped.

Sasori just raised an eyebrow and she hated the way she had unintentionally proven his point.

"I have to go back to the hospital," she said, getting to her feet.

Before she could even make a step towards the door, a large hand on her shoulder stopped her. She was pulled back into his chest.

"I am here because I need to put more parts of my plan into motion," his voice was gravel in her ears, making her toes curl. "I'm here because I am not so careless as to leave this house without figuring out the intricate details of how the word has changed. And I'm here," he said, hand trailing dangerous low on her belly, "because I _want_ to be here. Understand?"

Sakura nodded her head not trusting whatever words would come out of her mouth. He was becoming dangerous to her in ways she hadn't even thought were possible. He made her lose her mind. He made her _forget her mission_.

She stepped away, watching the demon tense up. "I'll be back later tonight." She didn't wait for his reply as she turned and fled the house, hating that her cheeks felt hot.

She was so preoccupied by her thoughts that it seemed as if she blinked and she was in front of her father. Machines beeped their rhythmic monotone and she briefly took note of her chart. Everything looked good.

"What are you hiding dad?" Sakura whispered, to his unconscious form.

She needed him to wake up. To fill her in on some answers. To help her with her mission. She _knew_ everything would be tied together.

"Sakura-chan!" a loud voice said, and she watched as Naruto skidded through the door.

She fought back a frown. She understood her former master's reasoning for dropping the genjutus. But if Naruto could easily access his room, than how many other people could.

"-I've been looking for you everywhere. Shizune said something about a coma patient," the blonde rambled.

She felt slightly bemused that Naruto clearly hadn't recognized that the man in the bed was her father.

"What is it?" she questioned, knowing that Naruto took after their sensei in that he didn't particularly _like_ hospitals.

She watched as a bright smile stretched across his face. "He's out, Sakura. _Sasuke is out_!"

 **A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Thank you for your reviews and please continue letting me know what you think!**


End file.
